A Herald's Wings
by Dreamwind1
Summary: New chapter is up and things are beginning to come to a head. What will happen when KazeHA meets Albreich?
1. Author's notes

Author's notes: A Herald's Wings  
  
Okay here's how it stands. I got bored and started writing yet another fic. I know I should be working on the ones I had already started but this idea and those damn plot bunnies just wouldn't leave me alone. This is an original fic using mostly original characters and is set in Misty's world. It takes place at the end of The Owl Trilogy.   
  
I have created my own race of people which are called "The Lost" or the children of the White City. One of the main characters is called YoShen, he is a member of The Lost. He also has some "strange" magical gifts that you briefly get to see in this first part of the story. You'll get to see more of them as the story goes. YoShen's people are a lot like the ancient Japanese or Chinese people but slightly different. They do not like strangers and have very strict cultural rules. Many of which make the Valdamarians seem like barbarians. So how will YoShen be able to get along with Herald Alexian?   
  
Herald Alexian is out on his first assignment in the field. He saves YoShen and ends up becoming the "owner", for lack of a better term, of YoShen. Alexian's companion is called Ylsa and is not the Ylsa from the books. It just happens to be a coincidental name. Both Alexian and YoShen are around nineteen years old. The two find themselves stuck with each other, unable to speak the same tongue and trapped in a situation that makes it hard to become friends.   
  
The story is slash oriented. Their will be more graphic shaych relationships in later chapters. The later chapters may contain lemon so I'll have to post them somewhere else. You will be able to find the graphic version at www.adultfanfiction.net If I can ever find out how to make a web page I'll post this story up with my other stories and the art work I have done for them. I have several pics of YoShen and one with both him and Alexian. So I really want to make a web page. *PLEA!! If anyone knows how and would be willing to help me contact me at my email : Dreamwind83@yahoo.com  
  
Thanks. Have fun reading. C & C is most welcome. And will cause chapters to be posted faster. 


	2. Meeting in the Night

Title: A Herald's Wings  
Author: Dreamwind  
Disclaimer: Herald Alexian, YoShen, Telver and the people known as "the lost" are all my ideas and as such are mine to play with as I please. * note: no characters were harmed in the making of this fic. *  
  
Flashback when either YoShen or Alexian are talking to the other in their native tongue. These are used for the person who's POV we aren't in. It means we can understand what they are saying but the other characters cannot.  
Herald Alexian shifted the bits of cooking meat in the boiling water. He felt absorbed by the simple action, as if by focusing on this then all the rest of the world could just fall away from him. It had been a very long three days and he already knew it was going to continue to be a very long and trying time for him. What had happened three days ago just wasn't covered in the training a herald received at the collegiums. Herald Alexian looked out of the corner of his eye at the strange young man sitting on the other side of the room. The young man didn't move he didn't make any noise it was unnerving. Alexian had already had the urge to go over more than once and make sure the young man was still breathing.   
  
As if the young man knew Herald Alexians thoughts, he looked up at Herald Alexian and just stared at him with those deep black eyes. The fire crackled and popped and for a moment lit up the young mans face in a soft golden glow, making him look like a young man and not the mysterious person he seemed to really be. The darkness that seemed to cling to him disappeared and replaced the image with that of a young man walking into something he didn't understand. Herald Alexian looked away from the boy and back to the cooking stew, or what he could get to pass for stew. His mind began to flow backwards, remembering all that had transpired in the last few days.  
  
Herald Alexian woke up screaming. His screams woke up Herald Telver and the companions. Alexian's companion stared at him with worried eyes as he stood and began packing. He had to hurry there wasn't much time. He spoke rapidly to his elder Herald and soon they were astride their companions and speeding down the forest path. His foresight couldn't be ignored, even if it meant that he would be late arriving at the next destination on their circuit. He had to get to the part of the forest he saw and save the boy from the bandits before it was too late!  
  
Wind whipped out at their faces as they rode through the night. The sounds of distant fighting rose up in the otherwise calm night. As they got nearer Alexian and his companion, Yelsa, could just make out the shapes of nine large bandits facing off against one lone boy who appeared to be unarmed. Seven more bodies were strewn about, cut into bloody pieces. The boy was gracefully dodging the attacks but he was so covered in people that he couldn't strike back without getting grabbed by an enemy. Yelsa sped up, her legs moving faster than Alexian had ever seen her move. Her body crashed like a rockslide into the attacking bandits. They fell and were trampled to death as Herald and Companion stormed into the fray.   
  
Alexian shouted at the exotic young man as they came closer. Herald Telver had drawn his sword and held it high as he followed Alexian into the battle. Alexian found his body moving while his mind disappeared into a void, there was nothing but the fighting. The sound of steel on steel, the smell of fresh spilt blood, and the maze of fallen bodies was all that Alexian was aware of. His sword sunk through the leather armor and into the bandits flesh. A blast of cold air brushed past Alexian and crashed into two of the bandits, slicing them cleanly in half. Alexian spun around wildly looking for the sorce of the wind. Two more bandits rushed at him, one fell dead as he walked into the path of the mysterious wind, the other continued on his course and was killed as one of his fellow bandits fell on him, sword burring deeply into his abdomen. Alexian spun around and took down another bandit coming up behind him. A scream cut through the battle haze that had taken over Alexian and he spun around just in time to see Herald Telver fall. Alexian screamed, but his scream was nothing to the heartbreaking cry the herald's companion let out. The remaining bandits fled as the two companions rose up on their hind legs screaming and stomping like banshees.   
  
Alexian stumbled over to where Telver lay bleeding. Tears poured down his face and Alexian collapsed next to him. Alexian sobbed for a long time, his head burred on the other herald's chest. Finally when he could cry no more Alexian felt the soft touch of Yelsa's nose on his back. He hugged her and just stared at were Talver's companion came to rest against him. The companion's body was mud splattered and covered in gore. He looked up once at Alexian and laid his head down on his chosen's chest and stopped breathing. Slowly a strange calm that always came during grief settled over Alexian and he remembered the boy they had come to save. The boy was standing in a pool of blood, bodies lay at his feet and a dark stain of blood was on his shoulder. His long black hair was a wild mess that was coming out of the leather thong at the base of his skull. Alexian took a deep breath and moved through the bodies towards the boy. He reached out toward the young man. The boy recoiled away from Alexian's touch, glaring at him with eyes of void black ice. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. Their gone and you're safe now."   
  
The boy looked away and stood up. His hand clutched his shoulder and Alexian could hear a cracking sound as the boy put his shoulder back in the socket. The boy took a few more steps, heading deeper into the forest. He stopped and turned back looking at Alexian and Ylsa, who had just come back. The boy pulled his head back towards the forest motioning for Alexian and Ylsa to follow him.   
  
***  
  
The strange man in white continued to gaze into whatever slop he considered to be food and YoShen just sat back and watched. He didn't understand this man. Truth to be told, he didn't understand a lot of things about what had happened. All he understood was that because of this man he was a living ghost. So he was none to pleased with the situation he found himself in. After all he had been doing just fine until those two men in white had shown up.   
  
YoShen was proud of himself. It was his first night alone in the shadow forest and already he had found a suitable place to sleep and meditate until he reached the astral plane and met his spirit guide. He had been on the astral plane and sure that he was nearing his spirit guide when he had been blasted off the plane by a hand wrenching him of the ground. His eyes had opened wide and he had nearly been blinded. The fire that he had been sitting in front of him seemed as bright as the sun as his night-adjusted eyes caught its glow. That one moment was enough for the bandits who had caught him to finish fishing him out of the cave and into the forest. The man had a cruel face, criss-crossed with scars. Next to scare face was a man who was missing an eye, and another who seemed to be in reasonable health save for a slight blue cast around his lips. There were more men behind them but YoShen couldn't make them out or how many there were. It wasn't good odds, but he wasn't about to hand himself over to them without a struggle. Focusing on everything Elder FaLi had taught him, YoShen decided that it was better to die fighting than to go with the white skinned devils. YoShen cracked his knee into scar-faces groin as hard as he could. The man dropped him and YoShen ran away from them as fast as he could. The men cursed and made their way after him. YoShen was fast though and as agile in the forest as any deer.   
  
Deeper and deeper he went into the forest. He couldn't let them find the village. The people of "The Lost" must stay lost. Outsiders couldn't be allowed near his people. YoShen dodged between the trees and rolled out of the way as one of the bandits shot at him. Close shot. The bolt was imbedded in the tree near his head. YoShen leaped into the open and made a break for the field not three paces to his right. The bandits followed and YoShen whispered and swung his arm in a slashing motion at the bandits. Two of the bandits screamed as an invisible blade of wind cut them in half. The other bandits were startled but didn't stop heir advancement. K'So. (1) They rushed him and YoShen found it nearly impossible to use his invisible blades. He managed to cut four more down before he heard the vague sound of thunder rumbling up from the earth. Riders were coming in hard and fast, two from the sound of it.   
  
The riders crashed into the bandits running them over. YoShen turned away from the new arrivals and concentrated on the bandits around him. Thanks to the charging horses the bandits had backed up enough so that he could call up his invisible blades of wind. Two bandits were cut down by his wind and more fell from the attacks of the white men. There was a scream from somewhere and YoShen caught sight of one of the white men fall to the ground dead. The other was rushing to his side while the two horses ran off after the two remaining bandits. YoShen stood back watching as grief swallowed the man whole. For a moment YoShen thought the man would follow the other into the next realm. Perhaps he was belonging to the dead man? Whatever the relationship YoShen didn't want to get too close to the man or the beasts right then. Their emotions were whipping out his thoughts, swallowing him into their grief.  
  
When the man finally got control of himself and looked back to YoShen, he realized what had happened. This man dressed in white had saved his life. YoShen could have saved himself, but this man had come at risk to his own life and entered into the battle. YoShen's honor could ask nothing less than to take this man and the body of his friend to the city of "The Lost." YoShen pointed his head toward the vague area where his home lay hidden beyond the edge of the forest.   
  
The fire crackled and popped and YoShen was brought out of his daze. When he looked back across the fire he saw that the man in white, who he now knew was called Herald Alexian, was fast asleep. On the mans face were dried tears. Even now a few new tears trickled down the path of the old ones. The white horse was asleep as well. They had curled up together and fallen asleep. Hmm. They must have thought him asleep. Oh well, the more fool they be if they think he would sleep while he was honor bound to protect Herald Alexian. YoShen continued to stair at the two sleeping figures even as the wind danced around him and told him what was happening in the night. As the night wore on, YoShen found himself thinking more and more about everything that had happened.  
  
YoShen could tell that the strange man was furious that he had somehow been forced to follow YoShen to some unknown destination. The man's aura lashed out at YoShen, making his own aura radiate with frustration. The man was angry at the loss of his comrade and YoShen was angry as well, but that didn't mean he was going to bore holes in the man's back with a glare. Fortunately, as they got deeper into the territory of "The Lost" YoShen noticed how the man was beginning to calm down. He was looking around with his mouth hanging open. He was "catching flies" as Okasan (2) always said. YoShen suddenly wanted to laugh, but he dared not. He had to stay dignified just as all the "Lost" were. Especially now. When they passed the large garden statue he heard the man behind him gasp and stop moving. He turned and looked at the man as he approached the statue. The man's hand hovered over the large jade dragon. He seemed mesmerized by the symbol of the clan of "The Lost." The jade dragon, guardian of the forest, was intricately carved out of a mammoth block of pure jade. It's serpentine body danced and looped around in a knot until it's gaze was back to being at eye level with the gaijin (3). The man was trapped in the dragon's gaze. The magic had caught him and his horse-thing. Hah. "Fool." YoShen walked over to the gaijins, placed his hand over the man's eyes and spoke in a whisper meant only for the wind's ears. When he removed his hand the man turned and looked at him and blinked.  
  
YoShen turned away from the emerald green eyes that seemed to pull him into them, just as the statue had pulled the gaijin in. He started forward again, not moving too fast lest the gaijin be left behind. The man moved to follow and they continued into the entryway of the village. He could tell the wall that seemed to appear out of nowhere impressed the man. Another jade dragon rested over the large double gateway in the wall. Above the wall two guards watched YoShen and the stranger approach. YoShen stopped and called a greeting up to the guards, "I am YoShen of The Lost, son of Elder ChiHa and the lady Hato. I return from my quest of manhood with the stranger of the white spirit."  
  
The guard nodded to the other who opened the gates. "Be well and enter." The two guards watched the gaijin and his white spirit horse as they crossed the threshold and into the city.  
My God, look at this place, Ylsa! I've never seen anything like it.   
  
The white horse whinnied and nodded. YoShen snorted and turned back to look at the two. They looked as if they had never seen a city before. Stupid gaijins, they were gonna' get themselves run over by the traders. YoShen grabbed the gaijin's hand and the reihns to his spirit horse and dragged them out of the roadway. They followed him through the maze of flat marble streets. The way they both seemed to keep their mouths dropped open was incredibly asinine, but they were obviously impressed. As they should be. This was after all Shiratoshi, the white city. It was impressive. The outside world lay hidden from view inside the walls just as the city was hidden from outside the walls. The buildings were all made out of stonewood, a special type of tree breed specifically for building. It was used for every building and wall in the city. If one didn't know what it was they would think the entire city was made out of the marble that was the roadway.   
  
Incredible. How did your people create all of this? Where are you taking us? How did you make this roadway? Why are all the people staring at us?  
  
"Baka. (4) I don't understand what the hell you are saying, so just be quiet. You are making a scene!"  
  
The gaijin just looked confused and shocked at the outrage in YoShen's voice. The gaijin looked away from YoShen's glare and sighed. YoShen noted the glazed look in the mans eyes and realized his was speaking, or trying to speak, mind to mind with the spirit horse. Well, the gaijin would stop trying to use his telepathy when he realized the city's magical shield prevented telepathy. From the outraged glare YoShen could feel burning a hole in his back and it was obvious the gaijin just figured out something was blocking his telepathy. Good, he wasn't a complete idiot. Maybe he could teach him that telepathy was a dreadful thing to have. A most dishonorable curse.   
  
YoShen looked around and found the street his was looking for and motioned the gaijin to follow him. They would take him to Shinigami's temple and have the body of the man and his spirit horse given the proper death rites. Perhaps that would calm the gaijin. Then they could go the temple of the elders and YoShen could find out what his new fate would be. YoShen sighed. He was dreading that visit. He could guess what would happen to him and it was not something he would wish on his worst enemy. Too soon they were leaving the temple of Shinigami (5) and heading down another road to where YoShen's fate lie in waiting. It was not turning out to be a good day. The gaijin had not liked having to leave his friends bodies in the care of stranger's especially since he didn't understand what was going to happen to the bodies.   
  
Why can't I speak to you, Ylsa? What have they done to us?  
  
The spirit horse neighed loudly and nuzzled the gaijin. Absolutely disgusting. His behavior with that animal was beyond perverted. Why anyone would allow an animal, even a spirit one, to bind to their souls together like that was beyond YoShen's comprehension. The elder's were not going to like this. No, they wouldn't like it at all. His life was never going to be the same and was all because of this baka gaijin. YoShen stood staring at the sprawling white temple, well it wasn't really a temple just a small palace that everyone referred to as a temple. Maybe it was a temple at one time but now. Now it was just a place for the elders of the city to sit around and prattle at each other. It was the place where he was going to find out what was to be done with him. "I can't prolong this any longer. One way or another I'm going to find out and they'll think better of me for coming to them instead of hiding like a coward."  
  
The gaijin looked at YoShen confused. I wish I could understand you. This is all very frustrating. YoShen ignored the gaijin and walked into the temple. The gaijin sighed and followed. Stay here, Ylsa.  
  
The gaijin watched YoShen take of his shoes and followed suit. Just past the entry way a dark haired woman in a kimono waved them into the council room where the elders were waiting. The woman bowed and backed out of the room closing the paper screen door. YoShen bowed and sat on his knees. "My Elder's I have come to seek your council on my fate. I have spent a night in the Shadow Forest and braved its horrors alone. I faced a group of gaijin bandits large in number and took down eight of them on my own, but my life was saved because of this gaijin and his companion."  
  
Elder FaLi looked deep into YoShen's eyes and sighed. He had always been partial to YoShen and YoShen could guess how hard this was for him. "You took down eight bandits on your own?"  
  
"Hai, Elder FaLi."  
  
The elders talked amongst themselves for a moment before turning back to YoShen and the stranger. "This man and his companion saved your life. So where is his companion now?"  
  
"His companion was killed in battle, Elder FaLi. I took him and the body of his spirit horse to the Temple of Shinigami."  
  
The elders nodded and spoke amongst themselves again before grilling YoShen as to the details of the actual battle. How it started and how it ended. It took several hours for the elders to question YoShen. Not just the battle was question but what YoShen had observed as the behavior of the gaijin and his spirit horse. The elders seemed pleased at first about how honorable the gaijin appeared to be. However, that respect was lost the moment YoShen spoke of the soul-bond between the spirit horse and the gaijin. It got even worse when they learned that YoShen believed the man capable of telepathy. The ice-cold glares being short at the gaijin should have caused the man to at least flinch but nothing happened. The gaijin remained sitting still watching them all very calmly. Finally they spoke to YoShen.  
  
"You have fought with valor and dignity, YoShen son of ChiHa. You have shown great courage and honor in giving the proper respects to a man who died with honor. You are a wise man and this council is proud to give you the ranking of 'man'. Tonight we shall give you the tattoo that shall represent your rank of man to all the people of The Lost. No longer shall you be YoShen, son of ChiHa, tonight you have become KazeHa." Elder FaLi paused to take in a deep breath and a look of sadness and grief moved through his eyes. YoShen swallowed hard. "Your life was saved however by this gaijin and his companion who gave his life for yours. It is this council's decision that your life would have been forfeit were it not for the gaijins. As such it is this council's decision that your life among The Lost shall be forfeit and placed into the care of this gaijin. You have been ruled as a ghost until such time as you can repay your life debt. However, as of the raising of the sun you may no longer walk among the people of The Lost or set sight again on the empirical city of Shiratoshi . At dawn it would be best that you and the gaijin no longer be within the city walls. The body of the dead gaijin and his spirit horse shall be placed in the death jars and given into your care, that they may safely make it back to their home."  
  
TBC...  
Translations:  
1. K'so - means shit in Japanese  
2. Okasan - means Mother in Japanese  
3. Gaijin- means foreigner in Japanese  
4. Baka - idiot; stupid  
5. Shinigami - God of Death; the Great Destroyer   
6. The city is called Shiratoshi which literally means the white city.  
7. YoShen's father is called ChiHa which means Bloodblade. It was a name he earned when he reached manhood.  
8. YoShen's new name is now KazeHa which means Windblade. Get it?  
7 


	3. Answers to reviews

Author notes:  
  
Just to make something clear, the Hawkbrothers couldn't find "The Lost" because they are in a different country. I won't specify which one right now for reasons only for me to know. BWAHAHAHA. Needless to say even if they were in the pelgries forest the Hawkbrothers won't find them because of the magic "The Lost" had on the wall. Basically it is a variance on a cloaking spell, with an addition to prevent mindspeech. You see in a sense the magic is keeping the city out of phase with the rest of the world. This means you could literally walk through the area where the city is and not see, hear, feel the city or its inhabitants with any normal or extraordinary senses. If you are wondering how they can do all that with the magic in the world so evenly spread out it is simply because they use a different type of magic. I will explain more about their magic in later chapters.   
  
* Special notes: Please review it feeds my fragile ego.   
Wintersky: If you ignore our author it means we get to rule the story, right?  
Ramsey: No, it means she'll write us into all kinds of crap that has no plot or purposes and inspires much flaming.  
Firesong: Now would that be so bad?  
* Would all of you be quiet. I'm trying to get them to review so I can update faster.  
Wintersky: Updating would be good right about now.  
Firesong: Why's that?  
Wintersky: The rabid plot bunnies are headed this way!!!  
Ramsey: RUN! 


	4. Deaths Ceremony

Title: A Herald's Wings  
Part 2: Death's Ceremony  
Author: Dreamwind  
Disclaimer: Herald Alexian, YoShen (KazeHa), and the people known as "the lost" are all my ideas and as such are mine to play with as I please. * note: no characters were harmed in the making of this fic. *  
Note: The first part also had flashbacks but for some reason the stuff to denote them didn't appear when I posted the story. Gomen nasai.  
  
*Flashback* ::Mindspeech:: when either YoShen or Alexian are talking to the other in their native tongue. These are used for the person who's POV we aren't in. It means we can understand what they are saying but the other characters cannot.  
  
The next morning was uneventful. Herald Alexian had woken up and nearly screamed when he saw the boy standing not more than two feet away from him. Okay, so screaming like a little girl was a stupid thing to do. He couldn't help it. That blasted kid made no noise what so ever. How were you supposed to deal with that, especially when he was standing over your sleeping form? Alexian cursed softly and looked back up at the boy. He was holding out a bowl of something. Alexian just looked at him confused. The boy shook his head and said something low under his breath and thrust the bowl into Alexian's hands before walking to the other side of the fire. Looking into the bowl Alexian saw that it was filled with some type of white grain. Two thin wooden sticks poked out of the food at an angle. Was he supposed to eat with those?  
  
::Chosen I do believe those are supposed to be the utensils.::  
  
Alexian sighed. ::Well how do you propose I eat with them, lady love?::  
  
::Why don't you watch the boy. He seems to be quite handy with them.:: Ylsa's mindspeech was tinted with a smug attitude.   
  
::Smarty-pants.::  
  
Through much trial and error, along with a lot of laughter from Ylsa, Alexian finally managed to get the grain into his mouth. Of course it was in a most undignified manner, he had to bring the bowl up to his mouth and use the two sticks to shovel in the food. Of course he didn't feel quite so bad since it was the same way the boy was eating. Somehow, though, the boy managed to make it seem graceful and beautiful. ::How does he do that?::  
  
::Do what?::  
  
::Making eating like your shoveling crap into your mouth look like some kind of graceful dance?:: .  
  
Ylsa chuckled into her chosen's mind ::Practice probably.::   
Alexian finished with the food in his bowl and looked up to see the boy standing over him again hand outstretched, waiting for the empty bowl. Alexian handed it to him and watched the boy clean out the bowl in a small stream near by. Looking around Alexian suddenly realized that their entire camp was already packed up, except for the bowls being washed and the bedding he was currently sitting on. Standing up Alexian grabbed a larger bowl sitting near the boys pack and went to the small stream to fill it. The boy looked up at him briefly before going back to scrubbing the bowls clean. Alexian turned around and walked back to the fire, careful not to splash too much water over the side on the way. The campfire steamed away under the cool water leaving nothing but black charred wood and ash.   
  
*The city had been beyond belief. Everything was white. Every building and street. The people were the most exotic people he had ever seen. Their long black hair was so dark it shone with violet highlights. Their hair was held up in elaborate styles that would make a Taylderas jealous. Their dark eyes were like staring into a still lake under a darkened night sky. They were filled with the same stillness that hides the true depth and dangers of the waters secret. And those eyes were staring at him like he was some sort of filth left behind by a plow horse. That he could do without. Actually there was a lot about this place he could do without. Such as whatever it was that was blocking his ability to mindspeak with his own companion. Then there was the annoying fact that he couldn't understand anything being said and he was sure they were talking about him. Oh well, there was nothing he could about it right now.   
  
A noise startled Alexian out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the men, who if he guessed correctly were some kind of council, were leaving the room with the boy trailing behind them. Not knowing what else to do Alexian got up and followed them out of the building and through a small garden. A stream ran through the garden and they crossed over it on a small curved bridge. On the other side was a small shrine with incense burning beneath it. Here the group stopped and Alexian watched as the boy stripped out of his cloths. His skin was a soft bronze all over and Alexian couldn't help but wonder what it felt like. Could it be as soft as it looked? One of the older men lifted up some sort of brush-fan that was resting on the shrine and began to fan the incense over the boy's body. For a moment Alexian could swear that he saw a pair of glowing wings appear on the boys back before disappearing. One of the other old men approached then. In his hand was a silver tray. On the tray were two small jars of dye and a pile of needles. Alexian was confused, what were they going to do with all of that.   
  
Are you ready, KazeHa?  
  
I am ready, Elder.  
  
Then we shall begin the ceremony.  
  
Alexian sighed. They were talking again and he was once again left in the dark as to what was going on. This was beginning to get on his nerves. The other man began to chant as the man behind the man with the tray stepped forward. The man with the fan stepped back and joined the others in the chanting as the new man lifted one of the needles and dipped it into the jar of black dye. He brought the needle to the side of the boy's face and carefully began to press it into the boy's flesh. They were tattooing him. The tattooer's eyes seemed glazed over as if his mind had gone into a trance. Soon he had finished and where there had been a pale bronze cheek there was now a wild red and black tattoo the stretched from his jaw to just under his left eye. The design was made up of two partial swirls and two small thorns. Alexian had no clue as to what the significance of the tattoo of the whole ceremony was. A wind ran through the garden gently playing with the leaves on all of the plants. The wind danced across the water of the small stream almost seeming as if it was playing with the strange spotted fish inside it.   
  
Turning back to the ceremony Alexian noted that it seemed to have changed. The air didn't seem to be filled with a joyous tension, instead it seemed to hang heavy with dread. A very old man came over the bridge then. His eyebrows hung over his eyes, effectively blocking them from sight. His beard nearly hung to the ground and was very narrow. The robes he wore were a bright scarlet and seemed to hang off his hunched form. In the old man's hands was a pile of white clothing, along with a pair of white shoes. Alexian turned to look back at the boy and the other men. The boys face had gone very pale and his eyes seemed shadowed in pain. The wizened old man stopped in front of the boy and held the cloths out to him.   
  
KazeHa, once YoShen, son of ChiHa, it has come time to pay your last respects. It is with great sadness that we must burry one of our own this day. The old man paused to take a deep breath. It is always a shame when one so young is cast out and lost to us forever. Take these white garbs as a symbol of that which has died this day. Were them in mourning until you have passed the lands of "The Lost" or until you feel as if that which has died need be mourned no longer.  
  
The boy reached out and took the pile of white clothing from the old man. Holding the cloths close to his chest the boy bowed to the old man. Thank you, ancient one. Slowly the boy dressed in the white cloths. First came a pair of loose fitting white silk pants. Over that came a white tank top shirt, which the boy tucked into the pants. Then came the long white over shirt and white silk belt. Once the boy was fully dressed the oldest man stepped back and let the final man step forward. This man was dressed in cloths very similar in style to the boy's except they were black and red. In his hand was a long dagger. The handle was made of the same material as the rest of the city and the silver blade was long with a small curve to it. It looked almost like a miniature sword. The boy turned around so that his back was to the man as he lifted the knife. Tears slide quietly down the man's face as he brought the blade to the nape of the boy's neck where his black hair was held in a leather thong.   
  
It is with great sadness that I must commit my son to the dead. The man swallowed back a sob. May the next life be filled with more joy and honor than this one has. Good-bye, my son. The blade cut clean. Hardly a sound was made as the boy's life was cut away. *  
TBC....  
  
Well...I know this one is shorter, but I liked how it left off on a cliff hanger. Besides Herald Alexian hasn't got as much time spent on him so far as KazeHa has. So it was nice to get his POV into the story some more. If you want more you will have to Comment or critique it. I need at least five before I post anymore!  
  
Stay tuned until next time, loyal viewers. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel. .... Wait that's the wrong show. *Sweat drop * Well, stay tuned anyway.  
  
4 


	5. This Road We Travel

Title: A Herald's Wings  
Part 3: This Road We Travel  
Author: Dreamwind  
Disclaimer: Herald Alexian, YoShen (KazeHa), and the people known as "the lost" are all my ideas and as such are mine to play with as I please. * note: no characters were harmed in the making of this fic. *  
  
*Flashback* ::Mindspeech:: when either YoShen or Alexian are talking to the other in their native tongue. These are used for the person who's POV we aren't in. It means we can understand what they are saying but the other characters cannot.  
The rain came down in a curtain so thick KazeHa could barely see two feet in front of him. The only thing he could really see was the thick gray world of rain and cloud. The sound of the spirit horses chiming hooves let KazeHa know where the gaijin was relative to where he was in the rain. This damn rain had come out of nowhere and it was unlikely they would find shelter nearby unless there was some godforsaken town out here. KazeHa doubted that. His luck just wasn't that good. It wasn't even good enough for a stupid boulder they could hide under and wait for the rain to pass. So now he was soaked there the bones, cold, hungry, and stuck walking with an urn tied to his chest. What a great day. Of course it was just as good as many of the other days he had had since meeting the gaijin.   
  
* "It is with great sadness that I must commit my son to the dead." Elder ChiHa swallowed back a sob. "May the next life be filled with more joy and honor than this one has. Good-bye, my son." The blade cut clean. Hardly a sound was made as KazeHa's life was cut away.   
  
The long tail of black hair fell to the ground in front of Elder ChiHa's feet. KazeHa slowly reached his hand behind his head to feel the place where his life had been tied. All he could feel was his skin under his fingers and a few hairs that had been left uncut. KazeHa swallowed and fought the urge to turn and look at the retreating figures of the elders of his people- no they weren't his people anymore. He was a ghost now. He had no people. No home except for what the gaijin might give him. KazeHa swallowed the sour taste that rose in his mouth at the thought of having to be given anything. He should be capable of taking care of himself. He shouldn't need the baka gaijin's help. KazeHa looked up from the earth and saw the gaijin. He was standing alone, surrounded by the dark plants. Moonlight reflected off the white of his shirt and the stream he stood next to, giving him a soft silver glow. For a moment he seemed to be something more than just a man. KazeHa closed his eyes and open them after taking a deep breath.   
  
"It is time to go now, gaijin. Come." KazeHa walked pass the gaijin and over the bridge. It was time to leave and never look back. *  
KazeHa suddenly crashed into the solid frame of the spirit horse. They had stopped in the middle of the roadway. KazeHa looked up at the gaijin and was about to yell at him when he heard it. A sound so faint you almost couldn't hear it over the pounding of the rain. It was coming from somewhere just ahead of them. KazeHa focused on blocking out all other sound. He called quietly to the wind and asked it to bring him the clear sound of the noise. The wind laughed and swirled around him, splashing rainwater in his face as it went to do as commanded. The gaijin looked back at him as the wind returned and seemed to notice that KazHa was up to something. KazeHa let out a loud whoop of joy as the wind brought to his ears the sound of a search party. They came into sight just as the gaijin was about to ask what was going on.   
  
Three men mounted on plow horses with another man driving a small covered wagon appeared out of the rain. They stopped just in front of the gaijin and the leader of their little group went to speak to the gaijin. KazeHa listened intently to the two gaijin's as they talked. However, he kept his eyes on the other three gaijin never letting them out of his sight. The three men seemed to shiver under his gaze and called out to their leader. The man turned to look back at them and noticed how they seemed to shrink under KazeHa's gaze. Herald I would appriciate it if you could get the lad to stop scaring my men.  
  
I would if I could but I don't speak his language. The gaijin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. :: Ylsa, love, can you speak to him and tell him to quit scaring the men?::  
  
::I could but I don't think he would like me to. Remember that their city had some sort of magic that blocked mindspeech.::  
  
::I know love, but he's scarring the men badly and we need them to get out of this rain.::  
  
::Very well.:: Ylsa snorted and prodded KazeHa before daring to enter his mind. ::Lad please stop-::  
  
KazeHa screamed in outrage. ::Demon spawned spirit, how dare invade my mind! Retched, dishonorable heel-spawn!::  
The spirit-horse reared back as a blast of wind came out of nowhere. The gaijin cursed as he fell off his spirit-horse. KazeHa stopped himself before he brought his sword as well as the wind down on the horse. His chest heaved and glared at the horse with eyes that were filled with a wild rage. "If I wasn't bound to your gaijin I would skin you alive for what you did." KazeHa's voice was colder than the wind barring down on them. "I know you know no better I will let such as insult slide this time. Beware though, if you do it again I will not hesitate to kill you."  
  
The spirit horse stepped away from KazeHa and blocked the gaijin bodily from him. ::I told you he wouldn't like me mindspeeking to him.::  
  
::What hell did he just say?::  
  
::That if I did that again he would kill me and that the only thing that stopped him from doing so was that I knew no better. Also because he is bound to you.::  
  
::He's WHAT?::  
  
::I don't know what exactly that means.::  
  
After a few tense moments everyone calmed down and KazeHa refused to look at any of them. The men gave the gaijin a raincoat and through much gesturing offered to let KazeHa ride in the wagon. So there he was, wrapped in his sleeping blanket, which was just as wet as he was, cramped in the back of the wagon with a couple children and two sheep. To make it worse the wagon was drafty and seemed to hit every single hole in the road. This was not a good day. Not at all.   
  
* They were out of the city in under an hour. That had to be a record. Of course it meant that he got to bring with him hardly anything at all. Just his camping supplies, his kataana, one change of cloths, some books, and the urn for the dead gaijin. As soon as he was packed KazeHa and the gaijin were on their way out. As they went through the streets everyone turned their backs to him. Refusing to acknowledge him. Brining home his ceremonial death even harder. The guards at the gate closed and locked the door behind them. KazeHa turned to look back once more at his former home only to see that it had vanished. He would never be able to see it again. He was forever blind to the cities of The Lost.   
  
"Come gaijin...we should be on our way." KazeHa held back his tears and felt something inside him die slowly. He had never even got to say goodbye to his mother. *  
  
KazeHa woke up as the wagon suddenly stopped. They must have been traveling for several hours. He felt warmer though. Of course that was due to the two children and the sheep that had curled up around him. It took him a moment to realize why. The wind wasn't coming in his direction. The wind spirits were helping him again. KazeHa looked to the open end of the wagon and noticed that the gaijin and a woman about his mother's age were standing in the opening smiling at him. KazeHa glared at them and it only made them smile harder.  
  
Come now young man. Let's get you inside and dried off before you catch a cold.  
  
Yes, we don't need you to be any surly than you already are.  
  
KazeHa shook the children awake and waited for them to get out before he crawled out of the wagon. "The two of you are making fun of me, I can tell." The two gaijin's just smiled and ushered him into the building. There was a sign hanging from the side of the building. He couldn't tell what it said but there was a picture of a kestrel and a rose on it. It had to be some form of shop or other. Inside the building was warm and smelled of fresh backed bread. It was a homey place filled with empty, or mostly empty tables. The only people here were the children from the wagon, the men from the search party and the woman from outside along with one teenage girl. Directly across from the door was a large bar with stools and a door. In the far right hand of the room was a staircase leading to a second floor. KazeHa couldn't quite figure out what this place was supposed to be. It seemed to be some kind of restaurant but it wasn't like any in Shiratoshi.   
  
Ah dear, the woman put her hand on KazeHa's shoulder, haven't you ever seen an inn before? KazeHa looked at the woman confused. That's it! The woman waved her hand around the room. Inn.  
  
KazeHa nodded his understanding and moved towards the fireplace. This was an inn, whatever that was. The teen girl herded the children upstairs and the men disappeared through the door by the bar. That left him, the woman, and the gaijin in the room. KazeHa turned to look over at where they were standing and realized the woman was gone. "Where did she go?"  
  
The gaijin looked over to KazeHa and smiled. Miss her already, lad? Don't worry she went to get us some dry cloths.  
  
KazeHa just sighed. He was really frustraited with the fact that he couldn't understand anyone. He looked back at the fire for a moment. It was warm and bright just like the fires at home. KazeHa turned back to the gaijin ready to ask him something and froze. The gaijin was undressing. Right in the middle of a common room! KazeHa felt suddenly very warm and turned away from the sight of the man as he peeled himself out of his wet cloths. It was no big deal. He had seen other men naked before. This wasn't any different.  
  
A warm hand settled onto his shoulder and KazeHa spun around. Suddenly he was face to face with the naked gaijin. He felt faint. Swallowing hard KazeHa stared him directly in the eyes, refusing to admit to the weird fluttering in his stomach. The gaijin smiled and placed a pair of roof woolen cloths in his hands. The lady of the house says these should be your size. Put them on before you catch a chill. With that the gaijin moved away from KazeHa and began to get dressed himself. KazeHa stripped out of his cloths as fast as possible and managed to get redressed just as fast and without misshape. When both of them were dressed in the clean, warm cloths the woman came back out with a try filled with hot food. KazeHa's stomach rumbled and the hunger that had been gnawing at him all day long voiced itself.   
  
They sat down at one of the tables. It felt odd to be sitting so high up, instead on a cushion on the floor. The woman came to sit in the chair next him and KazeHa stood up. She was the lady of this house and had been gracious enough to let them stay here and warm up. Even if women in his own culture weren't considered as high as men they were still treated with respect. All women deserved respect, even if you didn't know them. They were the givers of life. KazeHa pulled out the chair and waited for her to sit in it before pushing it closer to the table. Then he sat down. The bowl in front of him was filled with a thick stew of some sort. On a plate in the middle of the table was a large loaf of bread that smelled of garlic butter. It all looked delicious. KazeHa clasped his hands together and spoke, "Ikadakimasu!" (1)  
  
What did he say?  
  
It beats me, ma'm. I just smile and nod.  
  
The woman chuckled at whatever the gaijin said. KazeHa ignored their conversation and dug into the strange food with a passion. It was all so very good. KazeHa didn't think he could ever fill his stomach, it just kept asking for more. Finally though he emptied his bowl and the bread was gone. He held his bowl out to the woman and silently asked for more. She chuckled and went to get more mumbling in a good-natured voice. Ah, young men, you can never fill them up.  
  
The rest of the night was filled with warm food, warm cloths and good-natured chatter. KazeHa felt left out since he couldn't understand what the strangers were saying. However that feeling faded when the children came back down the stairs for a while and played with him near the hearth. Eventually they were lead back up to bed though, and he was left the outsider once again. About this time KazeHa noted that the gaijin had fallen asleep in the chair and so had many of the others. Were they to sleep out here?  
  
If you'll help me lad, we can get the herald up to the bedroom the two of you will be sharing. It's not much but it's dry and warm.  
  
KazeHa followed the woman to the gaijin's side and before she could shake him awake. KazeHa lifted him into his arms without waking him. "Show me the way, m'Lady."  
Together they made their way to the bedroom. The bed was just large enough for two people and KazeHa felt that fluttery feeling again as he crawled into the bed with the sleeping gaijin. Soon sleep claimed him as well and the fluttery feeling disappeared.  
** Special thanks to ShadeAngel who noted the little implant referred to as Shinigami's Temple. He he he. I have been trying to slip in little bits of GW into most of my fics. Besides Duo richly deserves to be worshiped as the beautiful God of Death that he is. I wasn't really aiming for YoShen to be a WuFei knock-off, but now that I think about it, he does kind of remind me of that Justice obsessed solitary dragon. Oh well...I still like him.  
  
1. Ikadakimasu is like grace. Basically it translates to 'thanks for the food.'  
1 


	6. Wake Up Call

Title: A Herald's Wings  
  
Part 4: Wake Up Call  
  
Author: Dreamwind  
  
Disclaimer: Herald Alexian, YoShen (KazeHa), and the people known as "The Lost" are all my ideas and as such are mine to play with as I please. * note: no characters were harmed in the making of this fic. *  
  
*Flashback* ::Mindspeech:: when either YoShen or Alexian are talking to the other in their native tongue. These are used for the person who's POV we aren't in. It means we can understand what they are saying but the other characters cannot.  
  
Alexian woke to the sound of birds singing and a ray of light shining in his face. He snuggled deeper into the blankets and came up against something warm. The source of the warmth was soft and musky. It smelled of cinnamon and orchids. Alexian curled up against it like a cat. It was then that the warm thing made a soft noise. He opened his eyes to see a body curled up against him. Through the fog in his brain Alexian finally realized it was the body of the young boy that he was spooned up against.  
  
::Shit!::  
  
A groggy mindvoice answered his. ::What's wrong, Chosen?::  
  
::Uh...Ylsa love, I didn't...do anything last night, did I?::  
  
::What do you mean?::  
  
Alexian rolled away from the warm body of the other boy. ::I mean I just woke up in bed with our exotic companion.::  
  
Ylsa's mindvoice was calm and even. There was no surprise in it whatsoever. ::This was the only bed available so the two of you had to share. He was kind enough to carry you all the way up here last night. Did you think he just rolled over like any little filly for you?::  
  
::Ylsa!:: Alexian blushed a bright scarlet. He hurried out of the bed and pulled on his freshly dried Whites. It took a lot of staring at the floor to keep him from turning back to the bed to watch the sleeping youth. Okay...he could do this. The boy was a pain in the ass, that's all he had to focus on. A soft moan issued from the bed and Alexian turned. The boy had tossed off most of the blankets. His bare chest was exposed and glowing a soft gold in the morning sunlight. The blankets covered his pelvis and stopped over his thighs. Alexian swallowed hard and thanked the gods that the boy was wearing his pants. He didn't know if he would have been able to control his roving mind if the boy had been naked.  
  
::Get your mind out of the gutter, Chosen. We need to get ready to leave. The weather has already cleared and who knows how long it'll last.::  
  
::Fine, fine. I'm going for breakfast. You wake him.::  
  
::How?! Do you remember what happened last time I 'spoke him?::  
  
::I wasn't suggesting mindspeech. For all I care you could send in a pack of squirrels to wake him.::  
  
Alexian left the room, quietly closing the thick wooden door behind him. Ylsa smiled to herself. ::Squirrels, huh. I can do that.::  
  
Alexian sat down at the bar in the common room and smiled at the few customers that had come to the inn for breakfast. From the pleased expressions on their faces and the empty plates, the food was obviously good. Of course the smell coming from the kitchen alone said just how wonderful it must be. Then again Alexian wouldn't care if it was cold, or burned as hard as stone. If it was food, he was happy.  
  
Fortunately, it wasn't cold or burnt. It was incredible. The eggs were warm and fluffy, the sausage pink and spicy, and the juice freshly squeezed. Alexian was just about to take a large bite when an earth shattering scream and an explosion rocked the inn.  
  
A moment latter the boy was running down the stairs. His shirt was still off and his short black hair was a mess. Clinging to his pants and clutching at his arms were roughly a dozen squirrels. Another squirrel had somehow managed to get caught in his hair and was screaming and thrashing wildly about. Alexian nearly choked on his own tongue. ::YLSA!::  
  
::Yes, dear?::  
  
::I didn't actually mean for you to do it!::  
  
::Too late now.::  
  
A squirrel was suddenly clinging to Alexian's face and he sat bolt upright and screamed in surprise, grabbing the squirrel and flinging it onto a nearby table. The squirrel jabbered angrily at Alexian and scampered away. Alexian spun back to look at the boy, who was glaring angrily at him. Alexian stepped back as the boy moved in on him. Suddenly the boy was right in his face. Alexian blushed. The air around the boy still carried his scent mixed with the warmth of the morning sun. Shit.  
  
You! I don't know how you did it but you sent those damn animals into the bed to wake me! Gods of my ancestors! You could have just shook me, damn it. Stupid gaijin.  
  
* * *  
  
KazeHa grumbled silently to himself. He was not having a good day so far. Being wakened from a pleasant dream by a horde of rabid squirrels was not something he enjoyed. He had scratches from their little claws, and tiny bite marks in places he didn't want to think about. The damned things itched on top of it too! What gratitude the gaijin shows to someone who got him to bed. He could have left him at the sticky table all night long - he would have deserved it. Then he gets some strange sausage thing and greasy eggs for breakfast. He would much rather have had the rice and cooked fish for breakfast that he was used to. Next thing he knew he was being forced to sit behind the gaijin on his not-horse. He could have ridden the damned mule the innkeeper had lent them or even walked! But no! He had to ride the spirit-horse with the gaijin.   
  
Are you going to be this grumpy the entire way to Haven?  
  
"Baka. You know very well I don't understand what you're saying. Are all your people this dimwitted?"  
  
* sigh * I was hoping some of your language would rub off but I don't appear to be that lucky. Lovely. I'll get a one sided conversation all the way to Haven.  
  
::At least when we reach Haven you can have one of the dyheli give him our language, Chosen.::  
  
::I suppose that could be a blessing.::  
  
The rest of the ride went on in silence, though not simply because of the tense mood produced by the activities of the morning and the fact that neither could understand the other. KazeHa found himself watching the countryside. It was beautiful in a way that was very different from the forest. Here the area was open and the sky seemed to stretch on forever. The land was covered in wild patterns where farmers had sown their fields for the next harvest. Some were even blanketed in flowers for miles around. It was so peaceful to look at. KazeHa closed his eyes and was claimed by sleep.   
  
A jolt in the steady gate of the spirit-horse awoke KazeHa from his sleep. He didn't want to leave the dream and fought off the urge to awaken fully. His arm was sore from being wrapped around the warm thing his head was resting against. KazeHa nuzzled the source of warmth and tried to go back to sleep. The source stiffened and groaned. A moment later the spirit- horse jolted again and KazeHa was nearly thrown off. KazeHa clutched at the white clothes of the gaijin and cursed the spirit-horse to the seven hells. The gaijin chuckled nervously and looked at him over his shoulder.   
  
Wouldn't want you to miss this sight, lad. When we crest this hill you'll get to see my city.  
  
KazeHa looked at the gaijin. The man sounded almost wistful and proud. Could they be nearing the gaijin's home? They had better be because he was getting damn tired of traveling like this. As they began to reach the top of the hill KazeHa realized that he could hear a loud buzzing noise that the wind told him came from many more people than he had ever see in one place before. Then they were at the top and KazeHa felt speechless. This had to be how the gaijin had felt when he had first seen Shiratoshi. The city was huge! It was surrounded by high stonewalls and looked as if it was one giant maze. "Incredible, to be sure. Too loud by far though."  
  
Impressive isn't it? The spirit-horse began to move down the hill and towards the city below. But it's even better when you're inside. Just wait until you see the palace gardens!   
  
The spirit-horse continued down the path towards the city. It took a little longer than KazeHa thought it would to get to the city. Then it took a little longer as they passed all the sentries and had to explain where the other gaijin had gone. The gaijin guards all sobered when they were told of the death of the other. Then they would look at him with an angry suspicion in their eyes. KazeHa had expected nothing less. His people would have been just as angry and suspicious of an outsider carrying the ashes of a dead friend. KazeHa looked straight through everything ahead of him at each checkpoint. He didn't want to see those looks anymore. The gaijin's death wasn't his fault. He had never asked for anyone's help.   
  
The city was impressive, after he no longer had to face the angry looks of the gate guards. But aesthetically speaking, it wasn't anything special. The road was lumpy cobbles, the buildings tall and ugly. What kind of people lived in such odd looking houses? The doors were solid wood and swung outward! In many places the houses seemed built right on top of each other and the streets seemed just as crowded. People were everywhere, jostling to make their way. Soon they were moving away from the crush of people. If KazeHa had to guess he would say they had just entered the royal grounds. Just over the gaijin's shoulders KazeHa caught sight of several people waiting, most likely for them. The people were all dressed in the same white uniforms that the gaijin was. One man stood out among them. This man was wearing a green outfit and had a different feel to him than the others - seeming almost like the healers in Shiratoshi.  
  
Welcome back, Herald Alexian. Your companion already sent us the news of Herald Telver's death. The woman in the center stepped forward. The gaijin dismounted and gave her a low bow.  
  
I am sorry that I could not save him majesty, but we have brought his ashes home.  
  
For that we thank you. The woman turned and looked at KazeHa. He stared right back at her, never giving ground. The woman smiled ever so slightly. We have also heard about your traveling companion. Does he understand us?  
  
No, Majesty. I have tried to learn his language but it is quiet complicated. Speaking to him through mindspeech was not a good idea either, but I shall give you a full report about that.  
  
Of course. The two of you should bath and then come to my room. I'll have food waiting there for you both.  
  
KazeHa silently watched the conversation. As annoying as it was he, was actually beginning to get used to not being able to understand what they were saying. The gaijin turned back to him and they dismounted before following the man in green into another building. Inside many more people in white were passing through, others in nearly identical cloths of gray also passed through. Finally they entered a room. The room was tiled and filled with large tubs. The gaijin began to get undressed and KazeHa averted his eyes, but not before he noticed the man in green walk over to the gaijin. Curious now, KazeHa turned and watched as the man in green checked the gaijin over. Well you don't seem to have contracted any unknown illnesses. In fact you're in fairly good health. Now for the boy.   
  
KazeHa simply stared at the man as he approached and patiently waited. If the man was hoping that he would strip down for his pleasure and convenience he was dead wrong. He was doing no such thing. KazeHa crossed his arms over his chest. The gaijin sighed and crawled into one of the tubs that was now filled with steaming water. The man in green just smiled. I can wait all day young man.  
  
KazeHa turned away from the green man and sat down in one of the corners. From where he sat he would be well hidden from the doorway but able to see it. He crossed his legs and slowed his breathing. If this man was going to try and wait him out, KazeHa planned to show him the error of his ways. He would out wait the green man. The gaijin sighed from over in the tub and shook his head at both of them. The green man just smiled and sat up against the wall next to KazeHa. The man crossed his legs and took a deep breath. They stayed that way for quite a while. The gaijin had started to complain and had finally gotten out of the tub. He was all pruny from being in the water for so long that KazeHa had to fight not to laugh at him. Kazeha stayed sitting against the wall with the green man even after the gaijin left. Other people in white came in and out. They would look over with mild curiosity before climbing in the baths. Eventually the steam in the room began to wear away at KazeHA. He had relaxed himself for so long, to ease the pain of an entire day spent riding that damned spirit-horse. Now the warmth of the room along with his own meditation betrayed him and he fell asleep where he sat.  
  
* * *  
  
Queen Selenay sat across from Alexian. Next to her was the prince consort Herald Daren. On her other side was the Queen's Own, Herald Elspeth, Adept Darkwind, and the gryphons Treyvan and Hydona. On the same side as Herald Daren was Herald Kerowyn, ambassador Karal with his Firecat Altra, and Healer Fandel. He had come to the Queen's quarters as ordered after he had changed into clean cloths only to find that the healer had beat him here, so had everyone else, and that the boy wasn't present. Healer Fandel had told him that the boy had fallen asleep in the bath chamber and had been brought to one of the spare rooms in the herald's wing. The healer had then given the boy a sleeping potion so that they could have the dyheli give him the Valdemaran language without any of the repercussions that Alexian had spoken of.   
  
"Well, when the young man wakes up I would like you to bring him to me, Fandel. I think that all of us will have some questions for him." Queen Selenay leaned back in her chair. "For now I would like to have Herald Alexian tell us his story again from when he first saw the city."  
  
Alexian sighed mentally. He had already told this story three times! It never changed so why did they keep asking him to repeat it? "The city was white. The ground seemed to be made of white stone slabs about thirty feet long and twenty feet wide. The buildings were white, some kind of wood I think."  
  
Darkwind made a small noise as if mentally agreeing to something. Alexian turned to look back at the Queen. "The boy took us to a large temple. We left Herald Telver and his Companion's body there. Then he led us to another temple. This one was larger, like a palace." Alexian took a drink of water from the glass in front of him. His mouth felt unusually dry suddenly. "He talked to a bunch of people for a while then they seemed to come to some kind of conclusion. It was then that all of us went outside into this lavish garden. There they performed some sort of ceremony where they tattooed the boys face."  
  
Healer Fandel nodded, remembering the tattoo on the side of the boys face.   
  
"After that they cut off the boy's hair and made him dress all in white. I'm not really sure why. They all seemed to be disgusted by the mere sight of the color." Alexian paused, thinking. "We were rushed out of the city after that. They brought us out front where my companion, Ylsa, was waiting for us. She had a few bags of provisions in saddlebags, blankets, and dry clothes."  
  
"Did this seem odd to you at the time? I mean honestly it does seem odd to spend so much time talking and then to suddenly just thrust them out of the city." Fandel seem to speak mostly for himself, like he was thinking out loud.  
  
"Being rushed out didn't seem really odd. I mean they obviously didn't like having Ylsa and I in their city. And I was glad to leave. I couldn't stand not being able to mindspeak to Ylsa. It felt like something, some force, was trying to split our bond." Alexian drank some more water. "When we left no one even looked at us. The people we passed just turned away from us like the mere sight of us was unbearable."  
  
More questions were asked as the night progressed and Alexian continued to answer them until all thought left him and the answers became automatic. By then everyone seem satisfied with what he had to say. Healer Fandel escorted him back to his room where he found the boy fast asleep on the floor. He was too tired by then to wonder why the boy was in his room when he was supposed to have been out in a guarded room. They were things his sleepy brain told him to think about later, when he was fully awake. Until then, the pretty boy sleeping on his floor wasn't important.  
  
TBC...  
Well they've finally made it to Valdemar. Yay! Now things will begin to get interesting. Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in "A Herald's Wings." After all, who knows what interesting people could show up? What will KazeHa think of Valdemar? What will Alexian think when he finds out about this new relationship he now has with KazeHa? . . . 


	7. Doorway to Grief

Title: A Herald's Wings  
  
Part 5: The Doorway of Grief  
  
Author: Dreamwind  
  
Disclaimer: Herald Alexian, YoShen (KazeHa), and the people known as "the Lost" are all my ideas and as such are mine to play with as I please. * note: no characters were harmed in the making of this fic. *  
  
*Flashback* ::Mindspeech::   
  
Deep in the forest, beyond the hidden walls of reflector stone (1) lies the city of Shiratoshi, the capital of the people simply known as "The Lost." This is an ancient city with ancient ways. It has been here; hidden away from sight since long before the Mage Wars ravaged the land. In all that time the city and it's people had remained unchanged. None of The Lost had ever ventured out of its walls except for their trials of manhood. No, not one The Lost had ever set foot outside the great walls. The people of Shiratoshi found the idea of dealing with foreigners barbaric. How could they trust strangers who had created magic that nearly destroyed the world?  
  
Yet that had all changed. For the first time in several millennia an outsider had been inside the walls of the great city of Shiratoshi and had left it alive - and worse still for the people of Shiratoshi, was that this white clad barbarian had taken with him their young prince. Since that fateful day emotions in the city were dark. The people mourned the loss of their only prince. The grief of the people though was nothing to what his family experienced. Deep within the chambers of the Temple of Elders the Queen lay dying. With the loss of her only child her will to live seemed to have slipped away. The Queen had never been a healthy woman. She had been courting Shinigami since she gave birth to her little YoShen. Now she was waiting at Shinigami's door. She had gracefully slipped into sleep an hour ago. Around her sat her remaining family and friends. Her husband, the King, sat to her right holding her hand, silent tears running down his cheeks. Next to him were the other nobles who made up the rest of the council of elders. Her own father - simply referred to now as The Ancient One - sat on her other side with the priestess HoshiAsa (2) of the Temple of Seigi (3).  
  
Together, these people were the witnesses to the death of their Queen. The Queen, lost in sleep, never felt her body die. All she felt was lightness, as if all the weight of her body had just disappeared. She opened her eyes and sat up. Looking around her she could see all her loved ones, save her son, gathered around her weeping and holding to each other. They couldn't see her anymore. Her pale translucent hand reached out to stroke her husbands face and simply passed through it. As it did she felt grief at all they had lost together pass through her.  
  
"Do not cry, Hato."  
  
Hato turned to where the silky voice had come from. Down at the foot of her bed stood a tall pale figure. Long brown hair fell to the floor in waves, held back from the man's face by a crown of bone. He stepped through her mourners and bent down on one knee before her. His hand reached out and gently brushed her tears away. "There is no need to cry."  
  
Hato leaned into his touch. "I cannot leave him now. Not when we have just lost our son. Please let me stay a little longer, my Lord."  
  
"I am sorry, Hato. I cannot. It is your time to join me now." Shinigami stood up bringing Hato to stand with him. "His grief will not be long."  
  
"I don't want to go. I never got to say goodbye to either of them."  
  
"Then say goodbye to your husband now and I shall bring you to your son."  
  
Hato dropped Shinigami's hand and went back to her husband's side. She knelt beside him and wrapped him in her arms. Leaning her face into his neck she whispered to him her goodbyes. For a moment no longer than a heartbeat, he saw her. She smiled and stepped back to Shinigami's side. "Let us go to my son."  
  
* * *  
  
KazeHa awoke to the sound of another's deep breathing. The ground underneath him was cool and hard. The blankets that had been covering him had been kicked off during some point in the night. KazeHa sat up and looked around. For a moment he felt disoriented, confused about where he was. Then he remembered that he had not been inside Shiratoshi in almost a month. He was here with the gaijin in his city - hidden away in a palace, in a building filled with yet more people dressed in white. A wave of longing and grief washed over him. How he wanted to be anywhere but here. Gods, but he wanted to be back home. Oh, how he wanted to be back with his Mother and Father, even if it meant suffering the obsessions of That Woman.   
  
KazeHa looked at his hands sitting in his lap. How was his mother doing? He wished he could have seen her even if only long enough to say goodbye. It wasn't permitted though. A ghost couldn't speak to the living. A ghost was voiceless. He was nothing. A tear slid down his cheek. The tear stopped halfway as if something had touched it. A chill ran up KazeHa's spine. He swallowed hard and opened his eyes. A transparent hand rested against his face, his tear glittering on it like a diamond. The mist that seemed to form the hand took on shape. Soon a woman was sitting next to him. Her smile was sad, but...it didn't have the worn out look it had always had before. "Mother."  
  
"My son. My joy." Hato looked at KazeHa and smiled a sad little smile. "You were taken from me too soon. Your father said you had died, I didn't understand. I didn't realize that he meant..."  
  
KazeHa reached out and tried to stroke the pale ghostly face of his mother. "Mother, I..."  
  
"I don't have much time, my son. Listen to me and know now that you have a long journey, full of trials, ahead of you. It will be dangerous and hard but at the end if you can open yourself up the rewards will be greater than you could imagine." Hato smiled and kissed her son. "I will love you always."  
  
"I love you too, Mother." KazeHa closed his eyes fighting back tears. The cool touch of his mother's hand disappeared. Opening his eyes KazeHa found himself sitting alone on the floor of the gaijin's bedroom - the other man still sleeping soundly as if a true ghost had not just appeared. "Goodbye, Mother." KazeHa lay back down on the floor and buried his face into his pillow. Soon he fell asleep, his pillow soaked in tears. Strange his sleeping mind thought, since I met the gaijin I have become ...weaker.  
  
Three hours passed before a loud bell woke KazeHa from his slumber. He sat bolt upright, wildly looking around for the source of the racket. A light chuckle was barely heard through the loud ringing and when the sound stopped KazeHa noticed the gaijin sitting in his bed laughing at him. Grumbling, he glared at the source of his irritation. "Stop laughing at me, you ass."  
  
"I'm sorry, truly, but you just looked so funny! Like a wild hare spotting a hunter."  
  
KazeHa's jaw dropped. He'd understood the gaijin?! The gaijin understood him! How?! KazeHa jumped out of his impromptu bed and ran to the other's. He leapt onto the bed, nearly straddling its occupant and grabbed the man's shirt. "How? How can we understand each other?" KazeHa's voice raised a notch.  
  
The gaijin chuckled. "Well, good morning to you too." KazeHa glared at him but the gaijin continued to smile from his place under KazeHa. "The Queen had the dyheli give you our language. I am Herald Alexian by the way."  
  
KazeHa released the gaijin - no Alexian's shirt, and sat back across Alexian's hips. He felt stunned. The dyheli gave him the language? Perhaps these dyheli were priests of some kind. They must have a language spell, at least. "I am KazeHa."  
  
"Well KazeHa it is nice to finally be introduced properly. Or as properly as possible considering that you are sitting on me."  
  
KazeHa blinked. He was sitting on - a fierce blush ran up KazeHa's face. How could he be so stupid as to forget that he had jumped the other man? Quickly and with surprising grace KazeHa sprang off of Alexian and stood next to the bed. "Forgive me, Master Alexian." KazeHa bowed low, his forehead touching the floor.  
  
"It's quite all right, really it is. Those bells used to scare the life outta' me when I first got here."  
  
KazeHa looked back up. "What are they for, master?"  
  
"They are rung every morning to wake up all the Herald trainees and other students of the Collegium. There is still some time before breakfast. Why don't we wash up?"  
  
"Very well, Master." KazeHa paused. "Will the green-man be there again?"  
  
"The green-man? Oh! You mean Healer Fandel. No he won't, he checked you for any injuries after you fell asleep. By the way, KazeHa, you don't have to call me master. I am just Alexian, okay?"  
  
"Very well, Mas-Alexian."   
  
Alexian stopped just outside the doorway to his room. KazeHa stopped next to him. "KazeHa, why do you call me master?"  
  
KazeHa snorted. "That's simple. I am your property." KazeHa walked ahead of Alexian. Leaving the Herald standing gapping slack-jawed at his back. He looked down the hall. Which direction were the baths again?  
  
Refractor stone is something I made up. Basically it's a stone that has some unique properties that when combined with certain spells refract light making everything behind the stone as well as the stone itself become invisible. It also refracts mage sight, making the sight veer off to another point even though the mage could still be looking directly at the wall. HatoAsa means Morningstar. Hoshi is star and Asa is morning. Don't ask me why they have to be put in reverse order to make the name I have no clue. Pretty though, ne? Seigi means 'Justice'. It is going to be the name of one of the gods I created for the story. Seigi is the god of Magic, wisdom and valor. Scholars, warriors and mages worship Seigi. He promotes wisdom, justice, valor, chivalry, honor, law, magic, and war.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry this section is a little short. I have actually had it done for a while now but I've been busy with all the last minute my teachers keep throwing at me. * pulls at hair * Why do they always wait until the last three days to assign the BIG projects! Anyway I would like to thank The Golden Dragon for beta reading all new chapters of my story. She has caught more mistakes than I ever could!  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
More good plot is on the way. How did you like the beginning? Too depressing? C & C PLEASE!!!!! 


	8. Meetings

Title: A Herald's Wings  
  
Part 6: Meetings  
  
Author: Dreamwind  
  
Disclaimer: see all previous chapters  
  
::Mindspeech::   
  
KazeHa sighed. He was bored. VERY bored. Three days here and already he was sick of the place. He had spent most of the first two days being interrogated by those white clad fools, whom he now knew were called Heralds. Were they expecting his story to suddenly change? Did they think that his position, staying with Herald Alexian, would suddenly vanish and they wouldn't have to worry about what to do with him? Then to make matters worse they decided that since he was staying that he should be taking classes. So they had got him all set up as a "blue" student. Forced him to take all manner of intelligence tests and then had told him that he would have to wear a special blue uniform so that the teachers and other students would know where he belonged. That had not gone well. There had been much shouting and name-calling. It had been down right childish. However, he had won the argument, religious basis and all. So he could continue to wear his white death robes for the ritual three years.  
  
KazeHa sighed again and the teacher broke his stick of chalk on the board in frustration. Damn, he'd been heard. The teacher glared at him and the students chuckled. He simply stared ahead at the man. He really didn't see the point in his needing to know "courtly graces." After all, he knew all the courtly graces of his people and that should be more than acceptable for these idiots.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Kazaa-ha?" the teacher asked.  
  
Come on, couldn't the man pronounce his name right, even once? "Yes. May I leave now? This subject matter is pointless." The teacher went red with suppressed rage. KazeHa tried not to smile. It was so easy to annoy these people.  
  
* * *  
  
Passing Herald-Trainees blanched at the sound of the screams coming from the collegium dean's office. It sounded like another teacher was lodging a complaint with the dean about the newest Blue. More than a few of the trainees and other students stopped and pressed their ears to the door trying to make out what was being said inside. The door swung open suddenly, knocking several students who had been eavesdropping to the floor.. An angry teacher stormed out, not even noticing them and inside, the Dean sat with Herald Alexian and KazeHa.  
  
"Again, we're sorry for the inconvenience."  
  
"Don't be sorry, Alexian. Just keep him from doing this again. I am tired of having him and angry teachers in here twice a day."  
  
The door closed behind Alexian and KazeHa as they left the office. Alexian kept shaking his head not knowing what to do about his little tag-along. KazeHa stopped outside the doorway and shook his head at the mass of fallen gawkers. They were all moaning as they slowly pulled themselves up off the floor. Alexian stopped at the end of the hall and turned to look back at him – waiting for him to catch up. Sighing again, KazeHa made his way through the crowd and back to Alexian's side. He knew his master was mad at him but he honestly didn't want to be in the classes. How was he supposed to fulfill his duty to Alexian if he was never by his side? It was tearing him apart. He had a duty and yet....and yet he found that he enjoyed some of the classes, such as history and weapons practice. He could learn so much about these people from those two classes alone. He could do so much....  
  
"I really wish you would stop antagonizing the teachers, KazeHa. I know that you'd enjoy the classes if you just stopped being so stubborn."  
  
"Perhaps." KazeHa followed Alexian through the building and out into Companion's Field. He was honestly a little amazed when he saw it. It was his first time outside the main grounds. He stood there in the cool green grass, absorbing the sight of the wide meadow. Field, that didn't do justice to what he saw. He turned to look at the far corner and blinked. It looked like there was some sort of building out there. "What is that?"  
  
Alexian turned and looked to where KazeHa was pointing. "That's the miniature Vale that Healing-Adept Firesong K'Treva built before the Mage Storms."  
  
KazeHa blinked. He had absolutely no idea what any of that meant, but he wanted to see this Vale anyway. Turning back to Alexian, KazeHa intended to ask him if they could visit it but was stopped by the sight before him. Alexian was about twenty feet away from him now and hugging his companion, mumbling lovey-dovey things at her. KazeHa blanched. That was simply perverse, loving an animal like that. KazeHA shivered and moved farther away from the pair. He would stay close enough to be of help – but far enough away that he didn't have to watch them. Sitting down in the grass KazHa got comfortable and slowly dropped into a relaxing meditation. The world around him melted away.  
  
Alexian sighed and sat down in the grass, leaning against Ylsa. ::What am I going to do with him, Ylsa? I know that he's not a bad person, he just...::  
  
::He's bored and frustrated, which is not a good combination.:: Ylsa looked over to where the young man was sitting in the grass. ::It's hard on him, Chosen. He doesn't fit in here and he knows it. He knows how suspicious everyone is of him, even the heralds. He wasn't Chosen and so even they are having a hard time figuring out how to handle him.::  
  
::I know that but I still don't know what to do. I feel terrible that he has no one to turn to, no one he can be himself with. I can kind of understand what he feels; I felt the same way back in his city, especially when I couldn't talk to you.::  
  
::Exactly. Now imagine how it must be for him. He doesn't even have a Companion to remind him that he is loved and anything but alone. All he has is the duty he has to you and the two of us. The duty that we are keeping him from.:: Ylsa nuzzled her Chosen.  
  
::I guess none of us have thought of that.::  
  
::Exactly.:: Ylsa chuckled. ::I can understand why he hates "courtly graces" so much. After all his people have even more of them than we do and more of them are twice as refined as ours. It would seem pointless to make him go through all that class when his own should be suitable.::  
  
Alexian was quiet for a long time. ::Ylsa, could you talk to the Dean's Companion and convince him of all of this?::  
  
::Consider it done.::  
  
Alexian and Ylsa lay back in the grass. For now their problems could be put on hold. They could simply lay out here in the grass, each enjoying the other's company. Hours passed by and they were finally forced to get up. The dinner bell had been rung and Alexian would have quite a ways to walk before he could get to the dining hall. Yawning, Alexian climbed onto Ylsa's back and the two made their way back towards the stables.  
  
* * *  
  
KazeHa was dreaming, or was it dreaming? He wasn't sure. He had never dreamed while meditating before. Breathing in the clean air, he somehow forgot to think about it. He was alone in a field of flowers. A river of water so clean and clear that it sparkled like jewels ran through the field. The water flowed over the rocks, filling the air with a song that spoke of contentment and freedom. The sky moved silently above, clouds of white as pure as fresh fallen snow dotted the sky. This place felt safe and free of worry and doubt. It seemed to fill emptiness deep inside him with a love so unconditional that it brought tears into his eyes. KazeHa didn't know why or how he had gotten here but he was glade that he was. Since his ceremonial death he had felt like a part of him had been lost. Then with the death of his mother the wound in his heart seemed to break open completely, causing a slow death to grow within him, eating away at everything that was left.  
  
"Beautiful isn't it?"  
  
KazeHa spun around and looked at the two figures standing above him. One was a beautiful man with long hair trailing to the ground from a crown of horns. He knew that man. He had worshiped in front of his shrines since he was a babe. This was the god of death, the judger of souls, standing before him. "Shinigami!"  
  
"That is my name. But tell me young KazeHa, what think you of my garden?"  
  
"It is beautiful my lord." KazeHa blinked and looked deep into the wide purple eyes. "But why am I here?"  
  
"Ah...that is the question, isn't it?" Shinigami stepped up next to KazeHa and sat in the grass by him. The second man remained standing behind them. "You see lad, that you have a destiny to fulfill and I needed to bring you here to explain."  
  
"Explain, my lord?"  
  
"Your death. You see, KazeHa, that in order to fulfill your destiny and your Mother's dying wish you had to first become a ghost to your people. By being a part of their life you could never achieve what you are meant to." Shinigami glanced back over his shoulder at the other man and waved him to come closer. "KazeHa, this is Shai. He will be an important part of your life from this point forward."  
  
KazeHa looked back at the man who had inched closer to where they sat in the grass. The man was tall, and lean. His hair was black and hung down to just above his shoulders. His eyes were a brown so dark that they seemed to be black and his skin glowed a rich earthy bronze. He was strikingly exotic. Not like Alexian was exotic, with his golden hair and emerald eyes, but he was beautiful nonetheless. "I don't understand."  
  
"Not yet, but you will. In time everything shall become clear." With that Shinigami reached his hand out and traced KazeHa's cheek. KazeHa's eyes rolled back into his head and his body slumped forward. "In time, KazeHa, in time." Shinigami leaned forward and kissed KazeHa lightly on the forehead.  
  
KazeHa sat bolt upright in the moist grass his head nearly colliding with the large white face above him. KazeHa flung himself backwards, shocked. His heart thundered in his chest. It had all been a dream. He was still in Companion's Field and by the looks of it night had already come. KazeHa looked around, searching wildly for Alexian and not finding him. The field was empty. A snort brought his attention back to the white face staring at him and KazeHa fell forever into a pair of crystal blue eyes.  
  
Oooooh....a cliff hanger. Uh..is this a cliff hanger? * shakes head * Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I did. It's starting to get exciting! But damnit I didn't get to put HER in the story again. Oh well. I guess you'll all just have to wait to find out who "She" is. (She was mentioned in part 5 by KazeHa.) And again I want to thank my wonderful beta reader for catching my mistakes! 


	9. Author's Notes

Hello everyone! I know you were expecting to see chapter 7 but it's not here yet. Sorry, but it hasn't been beta read yet because I am having (yet again) computer problems. It should be fixed in a couple days after I get back from Ellensberg. If not I'll go to the library and get it sent off to be beta read. Until then this little tidbit from the chapter will have to keep you company.  
  
* * *  
  
The rain made the sky black, blocking out the warm light of the sun. The day had become night, just as the oracle had said. "When the sky cries and turns day into night, the Morningstar shall leave the gates and walk the edge of the world, seeking for one who is dead." HoshiAsa plowed through the rain and mud. Perhaps the oracle had been right about this, and maybe her other prophecy was right, but right now she didn't care. She would go to the end of the world if it would mean she would find him.  
  
* * *  
  
So I hope that can keep you occupied until chapter 7: A Thousand Mile Journey, is posted up. If that isn't enough just think of this: I have chapter 8 started and it will probobly be sent to be beta read at the same time as chapter 7. You may all "Ooh" and "Ahhh" now. * pause * Okay, and if those aren't enough to satisfy you, I have Chapters 9 and 10 already planned! Until then, hold your horses.  
  
Zhai'helleva Dreamwind 


	10. A Thousand Mile Journey

The rain made the sky black, blocking out the warm light of the sun. The day had become night, just as the oracle had said. "When the sky cries and turns day into night, the Morningstar shall leave the gates and walk the worlds edge, seeking for one who is dead." HoshiAsa plowed through the rain and mud. Perhaps the oracle had been right about this, and maybe her other prophecy was right, but right now she didn't care. She would go to the end of the world if it would mean she would find him. They had a sacred contract to keep, and he would not wiggle out of it. She wouldn't let him. Her smile was dark and fierce. He was a fool if he thought death would prevent her from her contract with his household. She would not let him escape her.  
  
Her fierce determination warmed her and guided her through the rain. Light pierced the bleak darkness and HoshiAsa headed for it. It took her another hour to get through the deep mud that sucked her into its grip, fighting her every step, but finally she reached the door of the building. She pulled it open and looked inside at the warm, dry bodies sitting comfortably at tables all throughout the room. Most of the people here were men she noted. In fact the only women here seemed to be two serving maids. One of these young women, who couldn't be more than 15, approached her and spoke in a soft and hushed voice. HosiAsa didn't know the exact words the girl spoke but it was clear enough that she was leading her to a table near the fire. HoshiAsa sat down and silently watched the girl leave the room through a door behind the bar.  
  
HoshiAsa leaned back in the wooden chair and closed her eyes, absorbing the warmth of the fire. It felt good to be some place warm and dry, instead of being out in all that dreadful rain. Soon the girl was back. In her hands she carried a large mug of spiced cider, whose rich aroma tickled HoshiAsa's nose. The girl waited patiently as HoshiAsa took a drink. Delicious. HoshiAsa smiled at the girl and nodded. The girl blushed and darted back out of the room. The men at the table nearest her glanced over their shoulders at her. Their faces were red with drink and their eyes held only desire. HoshiAsa glared at the men and they went back to drinking their ale. One hand rested on her knee, hidden from the men's view. Within it glowed a narrow piece of white paper. It never hurt to be ready for the unexpected.  
  
The girl was suddenly back again, this time carrying a large steaming bowl of stew. HoshiAsa looked at the girl, just looked for a long moment. This girl was nothing special. The brown hair was thick and matted, areas dusted with flour. Her eyes were the same brown as her hair. They would have been worthless eyes if not for the kindness HoshiAsa saw in them. The eyes decided her. HoshiAsa reached her hidden hand out from under the table. The words written on the ofuda suddenly changed and before the girl could see the ofuda HoshiAsa clasped their hands together. The girl gasped as the magic spell swept through her body and for one split second HoshiAsa and the girl were of one mind.  
  
The girl jerked away from HoshiAsa. "What.what did you do to me?"  
  
"Forgive me, miss. But I needed to learn your language rather quickly and you seemed to be an honest young lady. I thought you would have better language than your customers."  
  
The girl blinked. "oh."  
  
"If it makes you feel any better your cider was delicious."  
  
"T..thank you."  
  
* * *  
  
KazeHa looked around, wildly searching for Alexian and did not find him. The field was empty. A snort brought his attention back to the white face staring at him and KazeHa fell deep into a pair of crystal blue eyes. Love wrapped around his heart like a blanket, filling him with a feeling of safety. The love filling him from those blue eyes reached deep, touching the open wound in his heart where his people, his Mother, had been. KazeHa screamed and jerked away from the companion standing before him. Tears poured down KazeHa's face and his body shook.  
  
::Chosen what is wrong?::  
  
"NO!!!!" KazeHa screamed from the deepest pit of his soul. He did not want this! He did not want to feel this!! KazeHa turned and ran away from the companion as fast as he could. The grass whipped at his legs and seemed to fight to keep him from getting away. The companion simply stood in complete shock. He didn't know what to make of this. A chosen wasn't supposed to flee from his companion! He was supposed to feel love for his companion just as his companion felt love for him. ::Chosen!! Why do you run from me? ::  
  
KazeHa didn't know where to go. The field just seemed to go on forever. Which direction was the collegium? Kazeha looked wildly around as he ran. Searching for any place he could hide. Then he saw it. The perfect hiding place! He turned back as he neared his hiding place and saw the companion running towards him, faster than any horse should move. Drawing up the last of his strength KazeHa flung himself the final yards to trees and the safety offered by them.  
  
* * *  
  
The girl, whose name was Annalie, sat and talked with HoshiAsa. They had been talking since the last of the customers had fallen asleep at their tables, about 3 hours ago. A lot of what they had been talking about was simple information about this country HoshiAsa found herself in. Valdamar was truly a strange place. HoshiAsa didn't quite know what to think about these people. They were so very different from her own people. HoshiAsa sighed and went back to listening to the girls rambling monologue.  
  
"And then the boys came back with the wagon full of the missing children and this strange black-haired boy. He came with the Herald and he was soo cute. The herald, I mean, although the stranger, who looks a lot like you, was really exotic looking. He was wearing white too and he was kinda quiet- "  
  
HoshiAsa spun the girl around. "You saw a man who looked like me?"  
  
"Uh.yes"  
  
"What was his name? In which direction did he go?!"  
  
Annalie swallowed hard. "I don't know his name. He didn't speak trade tongue or Valdamarian." Annalie looked away briefly. "He left with the herald..um.Alexian Frelennye, I think was his name." She tilted her head. "My bet is that they were going back to Haven."  
  
"Haven."  
  
"It's the capital, all the Heralds live there."  
  
HoshiAsa smiled. She knew where to go now. She knew how to find YoShen. She stood up from the chair and began to walk towards the stairs that led up to the room Annalie said she could stay in. HoshiAsa stopped at the base of the stairs. "Goodnight, Annalie. You have been a great help to me and I shall pray to Seigi to watch over you always."  
  
* * *  
  
KazeHa ran through the doorway, past many bushes, and some hot springs. He saw a small house up in a nearby tree and made his way up to it as fast as he could. He tried as hard as he could to block out the voice of the companion calling to him. He would not hear it! He could not hear it! Telepathy was forbidden! It was sacrilege!! He would not disgrace his people any more than he already had.  
  
::KazeHa! Please chosen, you must be calm! You must listen to me!::  
  
"Go away! I can't hear you! I can't!!"  
  
::KazeHa, please you cannot ignore me.::  
  
KazeHa cringed at the pain in the voice ringing in his head. He shut his eyes tight, trying to block out everything. He would not hear those pain filled words. He would not see those brilliant blue eyes brimming with love at the sight of him. KazeHa choked back sobs and tears. "Go away.please.leave me alone."  
  
::I can't. Please we have so much that we need to do.:: Outside the companion pressed his head up against the wall of the vale. ::KazeHa, will you ignore everything Shinigami and I told you. Will you ignore your destiny?::  
  
KazeHa gasped as the warmth of the sun and the rich scent of the flowers in Shinigami's garden rose around him. Again came that silky voice, " . in order to fulfill your destiny and your Mother's dying wish you had to first become a ghost to your people. By being a part of their life you could never achieve what you are meant to." Shinigami glanced back over his shoulder at the other man and waved him to come closer. "KazeHa, this is Shai. He will be an important part of your life from this point forward."  
  
Tears poured freely now, down KazeHa's cheeks. He wept with all the pent up pain and grief that had been buried in his heart since that fateful night that he first met Alexian. All his grief over his death, his being bonded to a stranger, the loss of his home, his Mother's death and now this betrayal, the betrayal of his own god, hit him.  
  
::Chosen.::  
  
KazeHa wept.  
  
* * *  
  
Author Note: I know that it took a long time to get this up and I am sorry. My beta reader has been very busy and so she hasn't been able to look at it yet. So here is the unbeta'd version. Since there are most likely quiet a few errors and it took a while to post and have put up two bonus songs. They are kinda' like spoliers so be warry for those of you who don't want hints at chapter 14. 


	11. Bonus material: KazeHa's Song

Author note: This song is supposed to be a character song for KazeHa. It is kind of a spolier for later chapters so you don't have to read it. Also beware that this was written at 1 am after a lot of sugar and caffeine.  
  
"You and I"  
  
by KazeHa  
  
Towards the wind by a slender thread  
  
I listen closely to the voice of my troubled heart  
  
"What in the worlds  
  
was I born to do.  
  
I whose existence cannot be forgiven?"  
  
I want to believe that something is there  
  
Because the true feelings inside of me  
  
Won't just fade away,  
  
As my true hidden self is  
  
Not even the name of the past.  
  
I still remember the first day I met you,  
  
There is meaning in death.  
  
I had a nightmare of light that burned my eyes.  
  
Will I be able to see the stars that seem to be scattered now.  
  
Before falling into sleep.  
  
And being softly embraced by the moon  
  
I embrace your unforgivable sins,  
  
You who give me forgiveness.  
  
Even if I hurt someone,  
  
I'll watch over you.  
  
You held me when I was afraid of the darkness  
  
And my unforgivable crime continues.  
  
Your heart, your arms, your voice.everything.  
  
No matter how much we hurt each other  
  
Right now, I still can't let go.  
  
I love you,  
  
You who gives me forgiveness,  
  
So much that it destroys me.  
  
But these feelings will always  
  
Bind me to you.  
  
You kept crying after I vanished, and I worried about you.  
  
I won't let go  
  
So don't cry anymore, I won't be lost again.  
  
Even if the world falls to ruin  
  
I'll definitely keep my promise to you.  
  
I love you. 


	12. Bonus material: Alexian's Song

Author note: This song is the character song for Alexian. It is kind of a sad song and like KazeHa's it is a spoiler in part. Fortunately though it isn't graphic in what will happen in future chapters.  
  
"I Can't Say (Goodbye)" by Herald Alexian  
  
With a trembling voice  
  
I continued praying.  
  
"Be by my side,  
  
forever be by my side.  
  
I can't say goodbye just yet."  
  
I still remember the day when I first met you.  
  
As the soft wind swung your hair, you looked just at me  
  
Like struggling, suffering prey.  
  
You gazed at the cold wind all alone.  
  
I saw tears of loneliness floating in your eyes.  
  
I continue crying out your name  
  
As I can't explain my sadness.  
  
The last words which you gave me,  
  
"I love you  
  
So much that it destroys me,  
  
So much that it drives me mad again."  
  
I continue crying out your name.  
  
I love you,  
  
But you're not here.  
  
I can't endure, all alone.  
  
I continued praying.  
  
But you're not here.  
  
With a trembling voice I continued praying.  
  
Because I still remember .  
  
You let me coil around your wet body.  
  
Right now,  
  
I can't say goodbye just yet. 


	13. Denial

Shai paced back and forth outside the vale. It had been three hours since he had chosen KazeHa. Three hours of his chosen denying him and what they shared. It was unimaginable that something like this could happen. KazeHa had seemed to like him when they were talking before, so why did he run away from him now? Why was he refusing all the love and friendship being offered him? Shai knew that KazeHa came from a people who were very different from the Valdamarians, but he couldn't understand it. KazeHa had a good grasp on what a companion was, heck he probably had a better grasp on it than most Valamarians, but for some reason he wouldn't accept Shai.  
  
Shai reached out with his mind, hoping to touch his chosen's mind, and found it blocked. It had been blocked for two hours. The first hour KazeHa had been open and Shai had been easily able to touch his chosen's mind. Although all he got was grief and anger. Everything had been all messed up inside KazeHa. It was like his emotions had swirled into a raging tornado inside him. It had made it almost impossible to speak to him. All Shai could do was wait and hope that the boy would calm down and realize that Shai didn't mean him any harm. He only wanted to love KazeHa and have KazeHa love him in return.  
  
::Shai?::  
  
Shai turned around. Standing behind him was companion Ylsa. ::He ran away from me.::  
  
::Who ran away from you?:: Ylsa tilted her head and moved closer to Shai.  
  
::My chosen. I didn't even get to tell him my name. He just ran away and won't come out of the vale.:: Shai turned to Ylsa and rested his head against her flank. ::I don't know what to do. He is blocking me out!::  
  
Ylsa nuzzled Shai. ::Maybe it would be better if your chosen talked to another Herald.::  
  
::It is late, Ylsa. Everyone but us is asleep.::  
  
Ylsa was quiet for a moment. Her eyes seemed focused inward and Shai realized she was mindspeaking to someone. ::My chosen is still awake. He says he will come and talk to your chosen if you would like him to?::  
  
Shai nodded as best a horse could. Anything that would get his chosen to look at him, would make him feel better. He couldn't stand things as they were now.  
  
* * *  
  
Alexian yawned and put his book down on the table by his bed. He had fallen asleep reading again only to be woken up by Ylsa asking him to come to Firesong's vale. Quietly he crawled out of his bed and got dressed trying not to wake KazeHa. Finally he was ready to go talk to the distressed Herald-trainee. Alexian walked past the spot on the floor where KazeHa slept, never noticing that KazeHa was not there. He cursed silently as he made his way out of the Herald's wing and out into the field. It was damn cold and the grass was wet with dew.  
  
"Alright, I'm here. Now where is your new chosen, Shai?" Shai nickered and pointed his head at the vale.  
  
::Shai says he's in the ekele.::  
  
::Thanks for helping me, Herald Alexian:: Alexian nearly gasped as Shai's mindvoice spoke softly inside his head. He was so shocked he could barely stammer a "Your welcome."  
  
Quickly, Alexian made his way inside the vale. All around him the night was still and quiet. However, the closer he got to the ekele, the more the silence was broken. It was soft, but Alexian soon realized the sound was that of someone crying. He increased his pace a little as he caught sight of the ekele. :: Ylsa, love, do you know who Shai's chosen is? ::  
  
::No, I am not sure who was chosen. All I know is that Shai chose a boy, a foreigner I think.::  
  
::Okay.:: Alexian walked up the steps slowly. Trying to give the boy a chance to realize that he was coming. As he finally reached the door to the room where the boy was he noticed that the crying had stopped. Perhaps the boy had finally realized what was being offered to him? Then it came, soft as a breeze, a voice speaking in a languge Alexian didn't understand.  
  
"Watashi wa otokono o kage, watashi wa nanimo mimasen deshita. Watatshi no hahen koko'ro ni kakuretei-masen deshita kurayami nomukou hikari wa otoshimono. (2) Watashi wa samusa dake kazeo. Uchino tsubasa-" The boy stopped speaking as Alexian came into view. The two looked at each other and both seemed to be in shock. Alexian couldn't believe it. Shai had chosen KazeHa!  
  
"KazeHa.you were chosen?"  
  
KazeHa didn't say anything. His eyes widened and he looked ready to bolt. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks still damp with tears. Alexian moved in front of him and dropped down on his knees in front of KazeHa. "KazeHa, are you alright?"  
  
The tears, which had begun to dry suddenly, sprang back to life. Every barrier that KazeHa had built up around his heart came tumbling down in a massive landslide of grief, love, anger, and confusion. Without warning KazeHa fell forward into Alexian's arms. The moment they touch Alexian was overcome by the sudden explosion of KazeHa's mind crashing into his. Alexian's mind staggered back as KazeHa's mind seemed to drown him within its cry. Alexian tried to cry out and found himself falling even deeper into KazeHa's tormented emotions. So many things came crashing at him that Alexian couldn't understand what he felt. Vaguely he realized that he was beginning to lose consciousness.  
  
* Alexian opened his eyes. Looking around he found himself in a garden. The garden appeared very familiar even with all the soft white haze that seemed to surround everything. Childish laughter softly filled the air and Alexian turned around to see where the laughter came from. He blinked as the child came into view. It was a little boy, his short black hair tossled by the wind. The child danced and laughed as if there was music playing that only he could hear. The child wore a strange red and gold outfit that reminded Alexian of the cloths he had seen in Shiratoshi. The wind danced along with the child, filling the air with pale pink flower petals. As Alexian watched the boy come dancing up to him, and stopped, smiling up at Alexian with the guileless innocence only a child possessed.  
  
"Hello. I'm YoShen. Are you here to play with me?"  
  
Alexian bent down so that he was eye level with the child. "Well hello, YoShen. I'm Alexian."  
  
YoShen smiled at Alexian. "Do you want to play with me and Kaze?"  
  
"KazeHa?"  
  
YoShen blinked up at Alexian. "KazeHa? I haven't met him. Is he one of Uncle FaLi's samurai?"  
  
"I don't think so. So tell me YoShen, who is Kaze?"  
  
YoShen giggled. "Silly, Kaze is the wind."  
  
"The wind? Do you play with the wind often?"  
  
YoShen smiled and Alexian gasped as the wind came swirling around the boy again. "We play all the time, Uncle FaLi likes to play with us too. He makes us play silly games."  
  
YoShen giggled again and danced off down a stone path. He stopped and turned back to Alexian and called to him. Alexian stood up and began to follow YoShen. As they walked through the garden Alexian noticed that the feeling of familiarity was growing. YoShen danced over a small curved bridge and the wind rippled across the water. Alexian froze as he finally realized where he was. Alexian reached out towards YoShen - *  
  
Alexian gasped and sat up straight. Warm hands pushed him back down and Alexian looked up into a pair of warm and familiar eyes. Healer Fandel smiled down at him. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, Alexian, it's a long story."  
  
"KazeHa?"  
  
"He's sleeping off a heavy dose of medicine. We had to drug him since he was projecting so strongly. It took three Heralds and his companion to finally get him shielded." Fandel shook his head. "No one has seen anyone with mindspeech this strong since Herald Vanyel went active."  
  
"He has mindspeech?"  
  
"In spades." Fandel sighed at looked back at Alexian with weary eyes. "He also seems to be a very powerful fetcher. Herald Elespth also thinks he has some type of magic, but she says it's unlike anything she's ever seen before."  
  
"Shit." Alexian sat up slowly and the room seemed to spin and go gray briefly. "Can I see him?"  
  
"You can go sit by his bed but he won't wake up for several more hours."  
  
Alexian slowly got out of the bed and followed Fandel out of the room and down the hall. The room was only three doors down from where Alexian had been resting. Even that short distance though was crowded with swarms of running and shouting people. Alexian pulled Fandel against the wall and out of the way of the rushing hearlers. "What's going on?"  
  
Fandel looked at Alexian, his eyes filling with a deep and weary pain. "I told you, KazeHa, is very powerful. When his powers, well, blasted open you could say, it caused at great deal of damage. In fact it caused a pretty good earthquake and a massive windstorm to come out of nowhere. We weren't prepared for it and so there were quit a few injuries. We're very lucky that no one died. A small section of the older part of the palace caved in."  
  
"He said he played with the wind."  
  
Alexian's eyes widened and before Fandel could stop him, Alexian opened the door to KazeHa's room and rushed inside. He stopped barely inside the door. The sight before him nearly floored Alexian. KazeHa lay sleeping on a bed near a window where Alexian could see Shai. The companion looked nearly as ill as KazeHa did. The companion whinnied softly as Alexian moved closer to the bed. He looked down at KazeHa and wanted to cry. The boy's normally warm skin was a sickly pale white. Deep black bags hung under KazeHa's eyes. His breathing was shallow and resting nearly unconscious by his bed where the three heralds who must have been shielding him. They looked up at him with weary eyes.  
  
"Did Hearler Fandel say we could stop shielding him yet?"  
  
Alexian just blinked. He wasn't sure what to say but Fandel saved him. "The dyhelli have said that they can teach him the basics of shielding while he's unconscious so you are all free to go."  
  
The heralds all smiled and sighed, relieved.  
  
TBC.  
  
" I am a boy of Shadows, I cannot see anything at all. The piece of me that has hidden in my heart is lost to the darkness beyond the light." "I have only coldness. My wings, -" To hear the entire poem which KazeHa was repeating you will have to go to my web page. There I will post it in its entirety. In English of course. 


	14. Bonus material: I am a Boy of Shadows

Boy Of Shadows  
By Katie Dresel  
I am a boy of shadows  
I cannot see anything at all  
The piece of me  
That has hidden in my heart  
Is lost to the darkness beyond the light  
I have only coldness  
My wings, which succored are lost  
Get away, I am lost in the shadows  
My heart still remains in this emptiness  
Buried and forgotten  
In a place of sorrow  
You found me prisoner to the dark  
Taking my hand you lead me away  
And you showed me a road that led to a city  
Left me at the gates inside the light  
Am I to discover something  
Am I to meet someone  
Am I too be hurt by someone  
I pray to the moon  
And realize the things I was praying for were in vain  
Your body is scorched in my memory  
I don't want to be your friend  
You'll be the death of me  
If I could see without eyes  
Would you still be here  
Shall I try walking  
I feel I missed out on something  
I cannot grasp the threat  
Darkness dispelled  
Is surely an answer  
Your body is scorched in my memory  
I love you  
But loving you will kill me  
Am I to discover something  
Am I to meet someone  
Am I too be hurt by someone 


	15. Dreamwalker

Title: A Herald's Wings Chapter 9: Dreamwalker Author: Dreamwind  
  
HoshiAsa looked around the small room. There was a window on one wall that looked out into the pouring rain. Up against another wall was a large bed. The blankets were brown and faded with many years of being washed. A small table was next to the bed. A half melted candle sitting on it along with some strikers. Setting her bag down on the bed, HoshiAsa pulled out some incense and set it on the table. Next came a small black plate with a black ink block. Small sheets of white paper were placed next to the ink plate. Turning away from the table HoshiAsa untied her hair. Long black waves cascaded down her back. She ran her hands through her hair, untangling the strands. Her hands moved down to her shirt and began to unbutton the clasps, removing her garments. Carefully she folded the silk and laid it out on her bed. HoshiAsa walked over to the small tub the girl had brought to her room and filled with bathing water. Dipping her fingers in the water HoshiAsa found the water tepid. Shaking her head she forced herself to realize that these barbarians probably couldn't do any better.  
  
HoshiAsa shivered as the water touched more of her skin. Still she crawled fully into the tub, until the water rested at the crest of her bosom. For the next twenty minutes she scrubbed her flesh clean of the filth picked up on the road and in the barroom below. For this to work she had to be pure of body and that meant all the filth must be removed. Rising from the water, HoshiAsa dried herself off. She made her way back to the bed. Sitting on it she pulled the pieces of paper and ink to her side and began. The block made a soft sound as it rubbed against the plate. She lifted her free hand and let the last of the bath water drip onto the plate, causing the ink block to soften and produce a rich black ink. Carefully she dipped a small bamboo brush in the ink. Bringing the brush over the paper, HoshiAsa's hands moved swiftly, carefully writing out the spell. When the ink had dried HoshiAsa lifted the newly made ofuda and placed it one her forehead right above her top chakra.  
  
* * * Alexian sighed and rolled over in the silk sheets. This bed was incredible. It was so soft against his skin. He couldn't help but laugh. He loved silk, it reminded him of home. True he was born of a noble family but he hardly considered himself one. Of course the rest of the family didn't consider him or his family noble either. But then that's what you got when your father was only a second son who married below his station. That had never mattered to his Father though. He had done well as a farmer and his wife had always made more than enough money from the cloths she made. They had never really had many expensive things. In fact the one truly expensive thing they had was their father and mother's marriage bed, which was decked out with high collums draped in rich violet damask with matching silk bedding.  
  
That reminded him. Wasn't it kind of strange that he was in his parent's old bed? Shouldn't it be back on the farm? No that couldn't be right, it had always been here in this room in Haven. Alexian continued to roll around on the bed never noticing the dark figure making it's way to the bed. It wasn't until he felt a soft hand touch his back that he realized he was no longer alone. Alexian turned around and smiled. Reaching his own hand out he drew the figure to him, their lips meeting in a slow passionate kiss. The mouth against his opened and Alexian felt a tongue run over his lips, asking for entrance. Moaning, Alexian opened his own mouth admitting the eager tongue. Hands roamed across Alexians body and he arched under them. His body felt like it was on fire, consuming him. A soft chuckle brought Alexians eyes back to the face of his lover. Eyes blacker than the night sky stared deep into his own. Alexian smiled at KazeHa and pulled him back in for a kiss. Together they moaned in pleasure. It was incredible, Alexian thought, KazeHa finally gave me the key to his heart.  
  
"Alexian."  
  
"KazeHa, please." Alexian panted and arched his body against KazeHa's. "I need you so much."  
  
"Yes.I need you too, now."  
  
KazeHa stood up and smiled at Alexian. His cloths vanished leaving KazeHa bare to Alexians eyes. He was more beautiful than any of Alexians previous lovers. KazeHa turned so that his back was facing Alexians and straddled him.  
  
"KazeHa?"  
  
"I heard one of the bards talking about something. So I wanted to try it. Now shut up and suck me!"  
  
"Whatever you say, handsome."  
  
KazwHa growled and glared before turning back to face Alexians groin. Licking his lips KazeHa bent foreward. Alexian screamed as he felt the warm, wet cavern of KazeHa's mouth against his flesh.  
  
* * *  
  
HoshiAsa blinked and looked around her. She was in someones dream she was sure but I didn't feel quit right. This didn't look like YoShen's other dreams. Those had all been focused outside where the wind was dancing. This was inside a bedroom, at least she thought it was a bed room. What else it could be she didn't know. A scream brought her attention back to the large wooden and fabric covered structure. Tiptoeing closer she reached her hand out to touch the fabric blocking her view. Another scream echoed through the room followed by several moans. HoshiAsa blushed as she realized what kind of dream she must have entered. She was embarrassed and yet.and yet she wanted to pull back the curtain and look inside to see who was hidden behind the curtain.  
  
Yes, she would pull back the curtain. She had to make sure that this dream wasn't YoShen's. Her hand closed around the fabric and began to pull it back. Suddenly a blast an emotional panic ripped through the dream from an outside source and HoshiAsa found herself flung out of the dream.  
  
* * *  
  
Alexian sat up, startled awake by the empathic scream that shattered his dream. Shit, and that was a good dream too. . . Alexian felt confused suddenly, not quite sure where he was until several green clad people ran into the room. The first one in the door was Healer Fandel. Alexian spun around and followed the line of sight for the healers. There on the bed was KazeHa, his body spasuming and thrashing for all it was worth. Alexian grabbed KazeHa's arms trying to pin them down as the healers did the same. Another blast of emotional panic nearly sent Alexian to his knees. One of the healers, who he noticed was only a trainee, collapsed screaming and fell unconscious.  
  
"Keep a hold everyone! If we let go he could hurt himself!" Healer Fandel cried out.  
  
A chuckle came from down near KazeHa's feet. "If we keep a hold we'll be the ones who're hurting!"  
  
KazeHa's body arched, his eyes snapping open wide. There was nothing but pain in his empty eyes. He arched back further, screaming silently and the room suddenly became a miniature hurricane. Alexian screamed as his mind was plunged back into the darkness. Vaguely he heard the sound of bodies hitting the floor as the wind died away. Then there was nothing.  
  
* * *  
  
HoshiAsa opened her eyes. Her body trembled in the aftershocks of the pain and power that had run wild through the dream plane like a tsunami. Taking calm deep breaths she looked up from the floor. The room had changed little and she knew that whatever had nearly hurtled her out of the dream plane and into the realm of Shinigami had passed for the time. She was safe momentarily to continue her explorations. Her legs wabbled a little as she stood up but she managed to reach the curtained bed again. Her finger touched the curtains and suddenly the whole world changed. There were two strong minds tied to the dream, one belonged to the dreamer, the other she didn't know, two more minds were held loosely to the dream as well. She reached out for one as she felt the power that she recognized as YoShen's.  
  
As she touched the thread that led to YoShen the dreamer was pulled fully into the changed dream, and her and Yoshen with it. The world around them changed as bright fire engulfed them. HoshiAsa screamed. She shouldn't be able to feel pain like this in the dream plane. Again she had to force herself off the ground and open her eyes. She nearly cried out at the horror that surrounded her. Mountains of bodies lay scattered across a vast blood soaked field. She looked down at the faces of the dead and saw faces she knew not and faces she had known since childhood piled together. The carrions had already come out to feast upon the rotting bodies. As far as she could see the fallen bodies stretched on. Horses lay scattered with the human bodies. Most she noted where white and lay near the white riders like the tavern girl had described. HoshiAsa found herself shaking with grief and rage as she looked out upon the senseless scene of violence. A hard grip tightened around her ankle and HoshiAsa found herself looking into the dead eyes of one of the fallen samurai.  
  
HoshiAsa jerked away from the dead man and ran. She ran through the endless field of death hoping to find the dreamer and YoShen. To find a way out. As she ran small noises began to reach her ears. Crying. Someone was crying, no not crying, bawling as if their soul had been torn to pieces and scattered to the four winds. HoshiAsa stopped dead. Her eyes couldn't believe what she saw. There in a small space, devoid of the rotting bodies of soldiers was a vision of herself, soaked in blood and gore, vacant eyed and staring at a golden haired man in blood soaked white livery. It was him who was sobbing. He was rocking back and fourth, clutching a dead body tightly to his chest. It was something her mind couldn't grasp. One of those scenes that is just to violent, or bloody, for your eyes to see and recognize without you forcing yourself past the terror it instinctively called in you.  
  
"YoShen." her voice sounded weak even to her own ears. "It can't be. NO, not this, Segi, no.."  
  
The body clutched so tightly by the golden haired man was her YoShen. It was his body ripped open and drenched in blood. It was his intestines slowly pouring out of the deep belly wound. It was what she most feared to see. She ran forward again trying to snatch YoShen away from the gaijin. Her body reached them and past right through them, dropping her onto the bloody ground next to the body of a white horse. HoshiAsa screamed. She screamed with every particle of her soul, and her voice was echoed by another, the deep rich tones of a man's voice crying out in pain far greater than anything she could ever, had ever imagined. Then the world shattered around her and HoshiAsa found herself lost into darkness as she was torn out of the dream plane and thrust back into the real world.  
  
Well everyone, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Sorry it took so long but I wanted to make sure that this would be a great chapter. Plus I have been very busy with school work and my muses decided to take a vacation without telling me. So sorry for the lateness of the new chapter, but don't worry there is more to come in this tale. * Evil Laughter * Also, if you're wondering why my web page hasn't been updated it's because my internet service here at school doesn't support geocities so I am in the process of trying to re-locate my web page.  
  
Ja Ne Dreamwind 


	16. Awakening

Authors Note: First off I know the last chapter was a little confusing. But I promise there was a purpose to it. So I'll explain a little about the chapter in the hopes that it will explain any questions you might have. First off the story took place mostly in the 'dream plane'. Basically this is where you soul goes when you dream. So HoshiAsa was using magic to enter into other people's dreams. She was trying to get into YoShen/KazeHa's dream but ended up in Herald Alexian's dream instead. So most everything you saw was what he was dreaming, which is why she couldn't touch him and KazeHa in the end. For any more information you'll just have to keep reading. I promise that the story is starting to get in the really rich part of the plot. If I could type any faster and didn't have to worry about school work I would probably have this story finished since I know exactly how it'll all end. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oh and to answer a question I did make the songs that go with this story although they were based off of music by other people.  
  
KazeHa opened his eyes to the sight of people in green milling about him. Closing his eyes KazeHa sighed. As he opened them again he noticed that only one man in green was in the room now. It was the healer from the baths. He was leaning against the wall, Herald Alexian leaning against him. The two were asleep and the sun was gone from the window. KazeHa felt strange butterflies in his stomach and closed his eyes again. More time must have passed because he heard the sounds of birds singing and people moving about. There was a buzzing in his head that he ached to scratch away. It almost sounded like voices. Ridiculous. He wasn't hearing voices. It was just the pounding of his head, nothing more. So why didn't he buy that?  
  
::KazeHa. . . KazeHa, can you hear me?::  
  
"Who?"  
  
:::It's me, KazeHa. Your companion Shai.::  
  
"Shai . . . " A sudden burst of memory assaulted KazeHa. His eyes widened and panic overcame him. He couldn't be! It wasn't possible. He would not allow it to be true! He wasn't a white demon. He wasn't. He was KazeHa, first-born son of Emperor ChiHa. He wasn't a part of these people.  
  
"KazeHa? Wake up, sleepy-head."  
  
A hand touched KazeHa and he screamed. His eyes snapped open and his mind screamed out across the city. ::I AM NOT ONE OF YOU!!!! I WILL NOT BE!::  
  
Alexian rocked back on his heels, nearly flattened by Kazeha's mind scream. KazeHa's back arched and he thrashed wildly. Pain. Loss. Anger. Too many emotions raced through KazeHa's being. He didn't know how to handle them. He had never been trained for anything like this. How was he supposed to handle all of this being tossed on top of the pile of burdens that he already carried?  
  
A strong hand grabbed KazeHa's arm. The weight of another body rested on top of him, holding him flat against the mattress. "KazeHa! Calm yourself, KazeHa!" The voice sounded familiar to Kazeha's foggy mind and he struggled to remember where he knew it from. "Calm down. It's me, Alexian. You're safe."  
  
"A...Alexian-san?" Alexian sighed and leaned back, sitting on KazeHa's hips. The gaijin smiled and KazeHa felt a strange fluttery feeling in his stomach.  
  
"You can be pretty loud, you know that?"  
  
"Nani? Loud?"  
  
"Yes, loud. You have probably woken up every mind speaker in the city."  
  
KazeHa went pale. Did Alexian mean that he was cursed with telepathy like the gaijin? "No..."  
  
"No what? No you didn't wake them?"  
  
"No!" KazeHa sat bolt upright. "I will not be...I cannot be cursed with that...that oni (1) magic!"  
  
"Oni magic?" Alexian shook his head and climbed off of KazeHa's warm body. Alexian shrugged the foreign word away. "You have mindspeech and a companion so now you will have to go through heraldic training. Then you can be a Herald like me."  
  
"I don't want to be like you." KazeHa glared at Alexian and climbed out of bed, ignoring his own nakedness.  
  
Alexian blushed at the sight of KazeHa's naked body. His body was distracting and so beautiful. Wait, Alexian thought, did I just think that? Alexian mentally shook himself. "What's wrong with being a Herald?"  
  
KazeHa spun around and glared at Alexian. Rage boiled up inside him, threatening to spill out of him in a windstorm strong enough to level the palace to the ground. For a moment the world vanished and all he became aware of was the wind swirling around inside him. "What's wrong with being a Herald? What's wrong!" Wind began to leak out of KazeHa's body, swirling around him in angry wisps. "I don't want to be a freak oni like you! I don't want my soul tainted by a stupid animal's touch!" The wind lifted the bed behind KazeHa throwing it across the room. "All I want is to be finished with this and to go home! I don't want to be trapped here with you ignorant barbarians!"  
  
Alexian, who had been knocked to the ground by the wind, stared in shock at the angry young man before him. He had never seen KazeHa like this. Not even when Ylsa had first spoken with him in mindspeech. "Kaze . . . Ha . . . " Alexian felt scared. He didn't want to feel that way but he did.  
  
::KazeHa! Stop this. Alexian is your friend. You're scaring him! ::  
  
"Stupid animal! This gaijin isn't my friend! He is the kisama that destroyed my honor and my life!" KazeHa's hands fisted at his side and tears slowly made tracks down his face. ::IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!!:: Power exploded outward from KazeHa in a massive shockwave.  
  
* * *  
  
HoshiAsa groaned in pain. Her body throbbed and her head ached even worse. The spell had been broken . . . no shattered would be a better description of what had happened. Someone who felt like Yoshen had shattered her spell even though they had not been in his dream. HoshiAsa rubbed her hand across her eyes wiping away the tears that had been falling. She was not so weak as to cry over someone else's dream, no matter how horrible it had been. It had been horrible, and far too real for her liking. A sight she never wished to see again. Vaguely she realized that someone was knocking on her door. Pushing her self up she made her way to her pile of cloths and donned them before calling out, "Enter."  
  
It was the barmaid. In her hands was a tray covered in food. "I thought ye might like breakfast, ma'Lady."  
  
"Thank you, Annalie."  
  
The girl placed the tray down on the small table and disappeared out the door. HoshiAsa walked over to the food and stared at it. It was unlike any breakfast she had ever seen before. What she wouldn't have given for some miso soup, some fish and a bowl of rice. These people had too strange an idea of what breakfast should be. None of it looked to be healthy at all. With much reluctance she began to eat the food. If it was truly morning she would need to eat and get her strength back so that she could continue her journey and make her way to this city called "Haven" and retrieve Yoshen.  
  
After finishing her food HoshiAsa packed up her belongings and headed down the stairs to the main hall. Few people where there, but they all had servings of the same food that had been brought up to her. None looked up at her entrance and HoshiAsa was glad. These people stared in a way that made her skin crawl. She was nearly to the door when she saw them. A group of men, hooded and hidden by the shadows in the corner where they sat watched her. She sensed something from them but brushed it off. They were no danger to her. She was after all a high priestess of Segi. It wasn't like they were any danger to her.  
  
Her day went bay slowly. Each footstep down the dirt road seemed to take an hour. Her body ached, her cloths sticking to her body. After the rain storm that had trapped her at the inn the weather had changed dramatically. Gone were the frost kissed winds. The air was now pressing down on her like a hot fist. The humidity stole her breath from her until she wanted to collapse under the week shade provided by the few passing trees. Growling low in her throat HoshiAsa stalked towards the nearest tree and the shade it offered. It wouldn't hurt to rest for just a little while. HoshiAsa dropped her pack to the grass and collapsed next to it. Sighing, she nestled deep into the welcoming comfort the grass and shade offered. Closing her eyes HoshiAsa found herself sinking into a deep black sleep, never noticing the figures slipping out of the trees like ghosts.  
  
* * *  
  
After the world stopped spinning and shaking KazeHa collapse to his knees. His world had once again been swept out from under him, leaving him adrift and longing. How was he supposed to live if his world kept changing? Nothing he had been trained in could help him if these people kept changing the rules on their lives as well as his. KazeHa leaned his head towards his lap and stared at the stone floor beneath him. The wind had been knocked out of him one too many times. There was nothing constant in his life anymore.  
  
::What about Herald Alexian? Has he not been at your side through all of this?::  
  
Herald Alexian? KazeHa looked up to the sight of the green men, no they were Healers, and several Heralds collapsed unconscious on the floor. KazeHa crawled across the floor. He looked down at Herald Alexian. The blond gaijin had a strain expression on his face and blood was dripping down from his hairline. Guilt rose up in KazeHa's stomach, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Alexian . . . KazeHa lifted the gaijin's head into his lap. Tearing his bedclothes he made a small bandage that he pressed to Alexian's head in an attempt to stop the blood flow.  
  
::I did this . . . ?::  
  
The mindvoice that answered his question was calm and even, tinged with guilt and grief. ::You did. Don't blame yourself, Chosen. I suppose none of us have handled this situation very well. ::  
  
KazeHa just nodded. He felt numb from the soul outward. The fight in him was gone. He didn't have the energy to fight anymore. He was a ghost. He would never return to his people, he was bonded to Herald Alexian through the Herald's own actions, and now he was bonded to an animal that he couldn't believe was anything more than just that. His life was not what he wanted, but he couldn't change it. All he could do was burry his true self away as deeply as possible and pretend that his life was something he could survive.  
  
1. 'Oni' means demon and if you're wondering 'nani' means 'what'. Just thought I would point that out. 


	17. Beginning of The End

Chapter 11: The Beginning of the End  
  
Author's notes: Wow....that last chapter was kinda depressing there at the end. Oh well, a little angst never hurt anyone. I know that this chapter has taken a while to get written but it just didn't want to be written. Gah....I should try to work on one thing at a time but my mind just can't stay focused on any one thing for too long. So thank you for waiting. Here is the newest chapter in KazeHa and Alexian's story. If you have the time please read my newest story "Rebirth" it's also a Misty fic (rated R for violence). Sorry for the shameless plug. Also I would like to thank my new Beta reader, kuronekotyger, for helping me with this chapter.  
  
KazeHa looked at himself in the mirror across from Alexian's bed. He didn't look the same anymore. The gray suit just didn't seem to do anything but hang off his limbs like skin three sizes too large. The color made his caramel skin take on a sickly pallor, which wasn't improved by the depressed, dead black color of his eyes. Not even the brilliant color of his tattoo was unaffected by the darkness that seemed to seep from every pour of his being. KazeHa hung his head, but turned at the loud sigh coming from behind him.  
  
Alexian was looking him up and down, his eyes critical. The look made KazeHa shiver. Of course, he found himself shivering anytime Alexian looked at him anymore. "These cloths definitely don't suit you." Alexian reached out and touched the gray material of KazeHa's shirt. "Maybe we can convince the Queen to let you have some grays in your own style instead. It might help you look a little less...well, dead."  
  
KazeHa just nodded. What was the point in arguing? Now that he was a trainee he couldn't wear white, so he had to make due with gray. The gray made him sickly to look at and the style of the cloths didn't help either according to Alexian. So if the gaijin thought that he could convince someone to give him grays in the style of The Lost then that would just have to do.  
  
"Well then," Alexian smiled, "let's get you to class. You have Weapons in twenty minutes."  
  
"Hai." KazeHa gave the mirror one last glance and then turned and followed Alexian out of the room.  
  
The walk out to the training field wasn't a bad one. The sun was out making the day a warm one. A light wind swirled around the grounds bringing with it the smell of fresh flowers. It was the same as the last several days. Boring. Nothing in this place seemed to change much. Of course nothing changed much day by day in Shiratoshi either. So he should be used to it, but so many things had happened to him since he had met Alexian that he found himself easily bored when nothing new happened. Not much he could do about that though. And according to these people "To have an interesting life" was a curse or something. Honestly though, after the years of strict cultural rules and boredom this new country was something else. There were so many people and all of them differed from each other so wildly that it made his head spine.  
  
"Well, it's about time that you two arrived."  
  
KazeHa looked up at the two people standing before them. The one closest to them was an older woman with blonde hair pulled back in a thick braid. She had clean smooth features that would have been the envy of any geisha (1). It confused him to see such a woman dressed in warrior's leathers. The man next to her was much more suitable to being found in a weapons yard. His dark hair was streaked with gray, giving him a distinguished look. His face was hard and cold, scarred from many years of fighting. He reminded KazeHa of the warrior priests of Seigi.  
  
"Take it, I am, that you are KazeHa." The scared man looked him up at down. "See how you fight we shall."  
  
The man nodded once and turned around heading further down the path to the practice ring and the other students waiting there. KazeHa turned to look at Alexian, who was standing very close to the blond woman and whispering in her ear. KazeHa shuddered with surprised anger. He wasn't truthfully sure why the sight angered him, but it did, far beyond anything it should. KazeHa whipped about and stalked off after the scarred man.  
  
Kai paced through the paths of the temple of Seigi. He was worried beyond anything he had ever felt before. He knew something was going to happen, he could feel it, see it there at the very edge of his mind and whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good. The priest also seemed to be worried. None of them had heard from his sister, HoshiAsa, for weeks. It made him feel sick this waiting. Waiting for his sister, for the words of the emperor, and for that damn feeling that just wouldn't go away.  
  
"Lord Kai."  
  
Kai turned at the sound of his name. He could feel the vein in his forehead thump loudly at the mere sight of the man approaching him. It took everything he had to hide his sheer disgust of the man and greet him with a small bow. "Lord Yen."  
  
The Lord smiled and stepped up close to Kai, invading his personal space. "Have you received any word yet of your sister?"  
  
Kai snarled slightly under his breath. "No, we have not."  
  
The older Lord smiled and plucked a small purple orchid from the patch near the stone path. "Perhaps it was not wise of the priests to let her go. A woman should not be unaccompanied, especially in a barbarian society. They are weak creatures, women. They need a man to control them so that they continue to do their duty and pop out many new sons for the empire."  
  
"Speak no ill words against my sister, Lord Yen. You tread on dangerous ground insulting a priestess of Seigi!"  
  
The old Lord stroked his beard and moved forward on the path. "I mean no ill will against her, Lord Kai. I only speak as any old man would." With that the old Lord disappeared around the bend in the path. He smiled to himself as he heard the younger Lord curse him and storm off in the other direction. The youth of today were very easy to manipulate.  
  
KazeHa looked again at the Weapons Master. He was an old man with obvious aches in his joints, but his will was still that of a young man in his prime. Alberich was a man worthy of his respect. And as they moved silently around each other KazeHa couldn't help but smile. They danced together as he had, what seemed a lifetime ago, with Lord FaLi. The two were different in their style, but KazeHa knew that the two men who had been titled 'Weapons Master' would have found much friendship with each other.  
  
"Enough. Fight well, you do."  
  
KazeHa bowed. "Thank you, Weapons Master. You fight well yourself."  
  
Alberich nodded. "Much training you have had?"  
  
KazeHa nodded and set the practice sword back on the rack with the others. "My Father trained me when I was little, and my Uncle has been training me since."  
  
"A soldier you were to be?"  
  
"No." KazeHa felt distant. Memories of days spent in the dojo with his uncle and Kai flashed back to him. Such carefree days, they had been. "An emperor I was to be."  
  
Alberich stopped. He was more than a little startled. No one had told him the foreigner had been royalty. But then he thought, perhaps they didn't know. "Told the Queen have you?"  
  
"No, I haven't. It doesn't much matter now, does it? They told me that I could not break the bond with the strange horse and my people would never allow me to step foot in the city so tainted by the creature."  
  
"Creatures the companions are not –"  
  
"I know what they are, Weapons Master. It would not matter to my people and it does not matter now anyway. What is done is done. A ghost cannot rule the living."  
  
KazeHa walked away from the confused Weapons Master and followed the students who had been outside with the blonde woman back towards the main building. He still had a long day of classes that he was told he must attend.  
  
HoshiAsa struggled against the bonds holding her arms tight against the stone platform. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew that it was only going to get worse if she couldn't escape. Whoever had captured her had to have been a powerful warrior or a sneaky bastard, perhaps both. What he wanted with her, she didn't know but by Seigi she wouldn't let them have it! She had to escape. She still had a prince to find, and a people to save.  
  
The leather bindings bit into her flesh anew; fresh blood flowed over the dried tracks of older blood. How long had she been here? The leather creaked, her flesh burned but still she tried. Then the binding on her left hand snapped. She was free! Yanking her body she reached her other hand and released the binding holding it down. After that it was only seconds before she was completely untied and racing away from the ruins of the strange building and whoever might have imprisoned her there.  
  
As she disappeared from sight of the ruins a clocked figure stepped out of the shadows. The only sight that could be seen under the dark cloth was a wickedly curved smile. Things were beginning to get interesting.  
  
1. (What is a Geisha?) The word Geisha literally translates to "arts person" or "one trained in arts" (gei = art, sha = person). It is also sometimes described as "women of arts, which is exactly what a Geisha is - a woman trained in the traditional arts of Japan such as dance, music, singing to name a few.  
  
(Is a Geisha a prostitute?) Most certainly not! A Geisha's profession is based on preserving the traditional arts such as dance, singing and music and entertaining in a non-sexual manner.  
  
The confusion as to whether Geisha are prostitutes or not seems to have stemmed both from the close proximity Geisha had to courtesans in the Edo era and the fact that they did technically originate from the red light districts. The main culprit though appears to be from post World War II occupation by U.S. service men.  
  
Many U.S. service came home from Japan with wild and raunchy stories of "Gee-sha Girls" whom, for most of the part where not in fact real Geisha, but rather, ordinary Japanese women or prostitutes masquerading or calling themselves "Geisha", largely because it was easiest for the service men to understand.  
  
Of course, the large majority of service men did not know the difference, and despite the survival of the Geisha districts after the enforcement of the prostitution laws in 1957 and the subsequent closure of the red light districts, the misconception has haunted the flower and willow world ever since.  
  
http:www.immortalgeisha.com/ig/faqgeisha.cfm#faq01 


End file.
